Chapter 53: Doubts

Seeing Caleb hand over the material that had condensed from Moore's body, Russell accepted it without hesitation. After all, he was the one who had killed the pirate lord; it was his by right.

"Tsk," Wyatt sneered, looking over the carnage on the ruined dock. "These demons gathering all in one place just made the cleanup easier for us."

Russell nodded in agreement. If the pirate leaders had been scattered across the archipelago, hunting them all down would have been a long and tedious task for a solo operative like Wyatt.

The battle was over. The four of them spent a short time scouring the battlefield, collecting the materials that had condensed from the fallen pirates. All of it was handed over to Wyatt; aside from Moore, he had killed every other demon present, so no one felt it was wrong.

After taking the materials, Wyatt thought for a moment. He sorted through the pile, then divided the Black Iron-grade materials into three portions, offering them to Russell, Caleb, and Leo.

But Russell didn't accept his share. "Mr. Wyatt, you should keep it. I hardly contributed to the later battles." He wasn't shameless. Wyatt had done most of the work in the end; Russell wouldn't have objected if he had kept everything for himself. He was actually surprised the gruff man was willing to share at all.

Seeing Russell's refusal, a hint of impatience flashed in Wyatt's eyes. "Just take it. Don't waste my time with pointless arguments." The seventy-odd pieces of material were worth about a million Federation Credits in total. For a silver-level cardmaker, it was a trivial amount. Besides, the kid in front of him was clearly a top-tier talent. A small investment in his goodwill now would not be a waste.

After a moment of silence, Russell accepted the pile of materials, but then immediately turned and handed them to Caleb. "Caleb, please give these to Zane and Yara's families."

He waited, but Caleb didn't take the materials. Russell turned his head to see a forced, pained smile on the man's face. "Russell... you should use them yourself," Caleb said, his voice thick with emotion. "Zane... Yara... everyone in their families has already passed away."

This.

Russell's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He had known about Zane's parents, but he hadn't realized that both of them were truly alone in the world. After a moment, he pulled his hand back as if nothing had happened. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't know." All he could do now was avoid reopening the wound.

Caleb just waved his hand, signaling Russell not to worry about it. The people were gone. The living couldn't dwell in the past forever. At least for now, thanks to Russell, their deaths had been avenged.

With the spoils divided, the four of them found an intact boat near the dock and set sail toward the portal. Their own vessel had been smashed to bits during their dramatic arrival. Now that their mission was complete, there was no reason to stay.

At the gate of the base, Russell said his goodbyes to Caleb and Leo, then mounted Pidgeot and flew for home. Wyatt, naturally, went to report the mission's success to the base commander. He had been temporarily reassigned to escort Russell and clean up the realm; the Association would certainly reward him for his trouble. All in all, it hadn't been a loss for him.

As he flew, Russell reflected on how much his life had changed. As a high school student, he hadn't been to school in what felt like a long time. It was as if he had skipped his senior year and gone straight into the internship stage of his career.

In the headquarters of the New Metro Cardmakers Association, Blake Whitmore took a slow sip of tea. "Have you made the arrangements for Jonathan Whitemore?" he asked.

Lance Jennings pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yes. I fabricated a reason today and asked him to take charge of the city's post-crisis recovery efforts." He hadn't sidelined Jonathan completely, fearing it would alert their target. A slow, step-by-step plan was better.

Blake was noncommittal. Normally, he could have just summoned Jonathan and used his card, [Lucius], to test his loyalty directly. However, Jonathan's own six-tailed fox specialized in mental abilities. A direct psychic confrontation was risky, and even if it was kept secret, a man with Jonathan's sharp mind would likely guess what had happened. If he truly was the traitor, it wouldn't matter. But if he wasn't, such an accusation, even implied, could be a devastating blow to morale at a critical time.

Putting the issue aside for the moment, Jennings smiled. "Director Blake, it looks like you'll have a new student in a month or so." He was, of course, referring to Russell. Given his performance, passing the Riverview Province unified exams should be no problem at all. In truth, Jennings had never heard of a student more talented than Russell. While a single card didn't define a cardmaker's entire strength, being one step ahead was a massive advantage. Russell was currently leagues ahead of this year's entire senior class.

Hearing the teasing, Blake smiled and did not deny it. He knew that even if Russell's exam results were less than ideal, he would still accept him as his disciple.

In that dark and damp underwater lair, Regent Jin looked at the man in the suit standing before him. "So," he said with amusement, "there is absolutely no chance of winning Russell over?"

The man in the suit, the same one who had been watching Brother Tiger, seemed to find the question ridiculous. "Why would someone with such a bright future throw it all away to join... you?" he sneered. "After his performance in the Prodigy Cup, the Association would have to be fools not to focus all their resources on training him."

Regent Jin just shook his head, looking at the man with a meaningful, pitying expression. "That may not be the case. Sometimes, it's simply a matter of the price not being high enough." "After all," he added, his voice turning silky smooth, "you joined us, didn't you?"

The man in the suit was angered by the words. He snorted. "If it weren't for my wife, I would never have joined a group of shady reptiles like you!"

The moment the word "reptile" was spoken, Regent Jin's expression turned to ice. "Watch your tone."

The man in the suit remembered that the being in front of him was also a Master-level cardmaker. "Tsk," he sounded, swallowing his anger.

After a long silence, Regent Jin's voice echoed in the cave again. "Are you clear on the Association's next move?"

"I don't know," the man said angrily. "The Association must have realized there's a traitor. They've been extremely cautious with their recent actions."

Regent Jin didn't seem concerned. "I'll have Five test this Russell again," he said casually. "If that doesn't work... just kill him."

Back at home, Russell sat cross-legged on his sofa, silently contemplating his next card. Not counting his cash reserves, he now possessed two powerful, gold-quality bronze materials: [Bloody Devourer] and [Elite Pirate Swordsman].

He had no immediate ideas for the [Bloody Devourer].

But the [Elite Pirate Swordsman]?

An idea sparked in his mind. A brilliant idea. And it could even create a bond with the cards already in his hand.

(End of this chapter)