Date: Unspecified
Ti: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Morningstar University Campus, Garden of Beginning, Ti Vestige, Morningstar University 2nd Campus
"Wyatt, listen to . I will get you the help you need. We can find the best Card dics the Card World has to offer—" Lucine said, still trying to convince that I was ntally ill and needed treatnt.
I cut her off in annoyance. "Soone does need help, alright—but it’s you. And I’m going to make sure you get it. Once you’re cured, be ready to pay the ultimate price for getting on my nerves. Now, tell your people to bring the ingredients I asked, or I’ll go find them myself."
What infuriated most was that Lucine wasn’t pretending—she was genuinely concerned. I knew ti-rule dentia was a condition even the Celestials couldn’t cure, but after everything I had shown her, shouldn’t at least a part of her consider that I might actually be capable of what I claid? Instead, for reasons known only to her, she stubbornly chose to believe I was a con artist trying to deceive her, rather than allow for the possibility that I knew what I was doing and that it wouldn’t hurt to at least try my way.
"Wyatt, don’t make any hasty decisions. Soone will bring you the ingredients. But while we wait, can you explain how you intend to cure ?" Lucine asked, clearly trying to figure out what the ’mad’ version of she had in her mind planned to do to her in the na of treating her ti-rule dentia. A part of her still believed I was trying to kill her, and that curing her ti-rule dentia was nothing more than a ruse I had crafted to justify my actions to Morningstar University and the five regions. But she couldn’t think of a motive.
However, I never made a habit of explaining my plans and thods to my clients. They told what they wanted and how much they were willing to pay, and the rest was my problem. How I delivered the results within their budget was entirely up to —that was always the arrangent. So if I couldn’t be bothered to explain myself to paying custors, why would I bother explaining anything to soone I was forcing to undergo my treatnt?
Getting no answer from , Lucine didn’t back down. She continued, "You do realize the problem isn’t with , but with the part of the ti rule I unintentionally comprehended while rescuing Ahalya from that past, right? The punishnt for breaking a ti taboo is the sa as rule contamination. There’s no cure for it. It’s a dead end. It’s not sothing anyone can fix. Even the all-powerful Celestials are helpless against it."
"Five more minutes. If they don’t bring the ingredients I asked for, we’ll go get them ourselves," I warned, cutting off Lucine’s attempts to stall. I had already given her the list of what to bring, yet she stalled at every turn. First, she didn’t even pass the list to her students, and now they were dragging their feet on purpose. Realizing this, I told her to make them move faster.
I would have gone to get the ingredients myself, but I couldn’t risk revealing any weakness in front of Lucine. If she realized I couldn’t summon the sa strength I used against Slay, the situation would turn against in an instant. Then, I would truly beco her hostage.
My Celestial Blood Fate Domain was absolute, but its consumption of celestial force and rule power was equally insane. Right now, I was sustaining it with only my Card Master realm strength. It was just enough to keep things stable, nothing more.
If Lucine and the other card demigods inside the ti vestige decided to act together, I wouldn’t be able to hold the domain for long unless I found a way to compensate for my lacking realm. In here, cut off from the Devil rchant Code, my options were severely limited. As for using primordial energy, it was not an option.
So even though I was furious, I couldn’t afford to act recklessly or draw too much attention. I had to be smart about this. Otherwise, instead of curing Lucine and proving myself, I might actually end up looking like the con artist she believed to be.
"Wyatt, they’ll bring them soon. How about you withdraw your Celestial Rule Domain? It’s disrupting several ongoing research projects and experints. I promise I’ll fully cooperate with you," Lucine pleaded, after receiving multiple distress calls from her students about my domain covering the ti vestige interfering with their work.
"Can you take an oath in the presence of the world’s will?" I asked, not interested in arguing with her. I knew full well that my Celestial Rule Domain had not only severed their access to soul energy and rule power, but was also to interfere with their ongoing research and experints. I was counting on that pressure to push Lucine into negotiating her surrender to before I reached the limits of sustaining the Celestial Blood Fate Domain.
"Wyatt, don’t you trust ?" Lucine asked, feigning innocence as she leaned closer, her immaculate eyes lifting to et mine as if she expected to fall for the act. And honestly, I might have—Lucine was one of the most beautiful won I had ever seen. Her natural charm was hard to resist. She had the kind of aura that reminded you of that one pure, elegant teacher, you couldn’t help but have impure thoughts about.
"Nope. You’re the sa woman who took her savior hostage right after he saved her life from a powerful devil. Honestly, I can’t trust you with anything," I said, deliberately exaggerating my accusation to cut off any further attempts from her to avoid taking an oath before the Card World’s will.
"Fine, I’ll take the oath. Just retract your Celestial Rule Domain. You’ve already caused enough damage," Lucine grumbled, realizing her charm had failed her. It was the first ti she’d been forced to rely on it—and she blad the age difference for why it didn’t work.
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