Card Apprentice Daily LogCard Apprentice Daily Log
Date- Unspecified
Time- Unspecified
Location- Lil Red Storm Planet, Unspecified
"Wyatt, accept me as your combat instructor," the Field Marshal repeated, receiving no response. The latter, while possessing raw power, lacked proper training. The Field Marshal believed she had the ability to transform this potential into a formidable force. As her young liege's most loyal subordinate, she felt it her duty to unleash his greatness.
Wyatt stared at the Field Marshal blankly. He had brought her to the Lil Red Storm realm to demonstrate his strength, dispelling her concerns about his safety. This would allow her to focus on gathering allies to support him against the Southern Princess. Together, they could establish a faction in the Southern Region powerful enough to challenge the Southern Princess's unchecked influence over it.
However, contrary to his expectation, witnessing his prowess, the Field Marshal insisted on taking him under her tutelage. She seemed unwilling to accept a refusal. While having a martial genius like Field Marshal Heatsend provide one-on-one combat training was beneficial, Wyatt also needed her assistance in establishing a powerful faction as soon as possible now that they burned the Southern Princess's reason to target him subtly.
Although combat training was a priority, it wasn't essential that the Field Marshal be his instructor. Wyatt could enhance his martial skills by joining a martial arts sect in the VR-Universe, hiring a devil instructor using the Devil Merchant Code, or seeking the Royal Instructor who had taught Field Marshal Heatsend and four generations of the Southern royal family.
Meanwhile, it was crucial that the Field Marshal assist him in recruiting allies in the Southern Region. Instead of Wyatt wasting time building trust with each of them individually, a single word from the Field Marshal could sway them to his side. While no one would dare to oppose the Southern Princess for Wyatt, the situation would differ if the Field Marshal made the request.
In essence, Wyatt needed the Field Marshal as his forerunner, not his combat instructor. However, witnessing her determination to mold him into a combat monster, Wyatt realized it wouldn't be easy to persuade her otherwise. During her recruitment, he had struggled to gain her complete loyalty. Now that she had become his fanatical devotee, he was beginning to regret his decision.
It wasn't that the Field Marshal would refuse his orders; she would follow them without question. However, their relationship had transcended that of Master and Knight, evolving into a familial bond, albeit unrelated by blood. Previously, she would have given her life for him out of duty. Now, she would do so out of genuine affection. This fondness and devotion made it challenging for him to command her on a whim.
"I am not fit to be a ruler," Wyatt muttered to himself, aware that a competent ruler would never allow such useless affection to hinder them. He was accustomed to dealing with those who meant him harm, but not with those who genuinely cared for him, even if misguided. After all, he had longed for love for two lifetimes. Now that he had found it, he was overwhelmed and unsure how to respond, primarily due to his trust issues.
His words did not escape the Field Marshal's ears. She frowned, unable to comprehend how his ability to rule was connected to her desire to be his combat instructor. She wanted to assert that he was wrong but, avoiding a tangent, repeated herself, "Wyatt, will you accept me as your combat instructor?"
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Wyatt remarked, locking eyes with the Field Marshal. He continued, "I was planning on joining a martial arts sect in the VR-Universe or hiring a devil instructor using the Devil Merchant Code. But since you wish to be my combat instructor, sure, why not? However, I have a few conditions."
"What are they?" the Field Marshal eagerly asked, willing to accept any condition from Wyatt if it meant she could help him hone his combat skills to his best.
"Our combat sessions should accommodate my unpredictable schedule," Wyatt stated his conditions. "I cannot be isolated from the world and myriad realms for too long, so no secluded training. Now that we have burned bridges with your niece, you cannot solely focus on being my combat instructor. You also need to recruit allies in the Southern Region who can warn us of her next move and assist us."
"We can train in the inter-realm city and choose sector where one hour in the Card World's time zone is equivalent to weeks or months in the said sector's time zone. This way, our combat sessions will not only be built around your uncertain schedule but will also prevent you from being cut off from the world and myriad realms for too long.
As for gathering allies, don't worry, Lorenzo and Leo are already on it. She made a huge mistake by placing my family under house arrest and sending the Royal Instructor to arrest me while using my youngest as hostage. The entire Lorn Family and its allies are now supporting you," the Field Marshal assured Wyatt, offering a solution to each of his conditions.
"Are you sure it's okay to recruit allies so openly and aggressively? After all, even though you're no longer on her side, she's still the Southern Princess," Wyatt inquired, feeling it might not be wise to further provoke the Southern Princess with their blatant actions.
"There's no other way. Everything that happens in the Southern Region sooner or later reaches her. Not to mention, if we're not this bold in recruiting allies, it would be difficult to convince them to switch sides," the Field Marshal acknowledged the limitations of her influence in the Southern Region.
If they didn't play their cards right, instead of establishing a faction strong enough to rival her niece in the Southern Region, they would become her stepping stone to consolidating her sole dominance over the South. Demonstrating to everyone that the Southern Hero's defection was irrelevant, she alone was sufficient. She was still the same old Southern Princess that they feared and revered or even stronger.