Location: Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City, Dungeon Highway, Blood Rock Dungeon Seal, Seed World
Listening to Susan's advice for Corey, the Field Marshal couldn't help but look at Corey with pity. She knew Corey had secrets of her own, but she doubted they would ever be enough to let her catch up with Wyatt-even in a million years, let alone become his equal or someone he would look up to.
Noticing the pity in the Field Marshal's eyes, Corey was irked and sharply asked, "Why, great-grandma, you don't think I can catch up to Wyatt?"
One would think that as an elder and respected figure in the Card World, the Field Marshal would be above pettiness and would not hold a grudge against an ignorant child like Corey. However, she did. With a humorous tone, she mocked, "No, honey. I just think you're being foolish to compete with Wyatt. Why don't you find someone more suited to your caliber? My grandchild, JJ. Now, if you were to compete against him, maybe you could try and catch up to him in few decades."
"JJ the sewer sweeper? I'll have you know, I can take on hundreds of him right now- Corey began, but before she could finish her sentence, the Field Marshal interrupted, "Without using your snake familiar from the dark realm?"
Corey hesitated but soon nodded, boasting, "Yes, I can. I can easily defeat him on my own."
"Is that so?" The Field Marshal looked at Corey in amusement and proposed, "If you manage to defeat JJ, I will officially adopt you as my great-granddaughter. What do you say?"
"I am already your great-granddaughter," Corey shamelessly claimed. Just when everyone thought she would relent for obvious reasons, she surprised them all by countering the Field Marshal's proposal, "If I manage to defeat JJ, you will take me to meet my parents."
Corey no longer wanted to force her parents to return, knowing that what they were doing was important for them. She also did not want her parents' hard work over the last decade and a half to go to waste due to her childish fits. Therefore, she planned to meet them instead. However, for that, she needed the Southern Royal family's permission, as visiting Way Beyond without a proper permit was a punishable crime. With her current strength and Lil. Baem's support, she could bypass the protocol, but doing so would tarnish her parents' exemplary record in the Southern Watch. Thus, she had repeatedly applied for permission to meet her parents at Way Beyond, only to
be rejected multiple times without a valid reason. She knew she was being given the runaround on the Royal family's orders.
"If you're really strong enough to defeat JJ on your own, I see no reason to stop you from meeting your parents at their post on Way Beyond," the Field Marshal conceded, knowing how much Corey missed her parents. Seeing Corey's recent actions, she felt guilty, thinking that a talented and good kid was going astray because of the Southern Region's incompetence.
"Alright, then. Let's go find the royal sewer sweeper right now!" Corey announced eagerly, brimming with motivation. Then, she hurried to Ceed, asking her to let them out since the Seed World was now Ceed's domain.
"What's wrong?" the Field Marshal asked Park, who was now looking at her with the same pitying gaze she had earlier directed at Corey.
"You really don't love your grandson, do you?" Park asked, feeling that the Field Marshal was being cruel to JJ by throwing him under the bus like that. First, she had him sweeping the sewers of Sky Blossom City, and now she planned to subject him to a beatdown from Corey, Park couldn't help but add, "That kid has a rough road ahead of him."
"You speak as if my grandson's defeat at Corey's hands is a given," the Field Marshal replied, clearly displeased with Park's implication, though the latter didn't seem to
As the remnant memory of Demon Emperor Corey Park, she had inherited both her kindness and pride. Except for Wyatt, Susan, and her card apprentice parents, she didn't consider anyone in this realm worthy of Corey's attention, let alone someone from the Southern Royal bloodline. Even though they were strong for this realm, they were the ones responsible for taking Corey's parents away at a young age in the name of the greater good.
If Corey Park didn't have at least this level of pride, it would have been impossible for her to survive in the Dark Realm, let alone build and lead her own forces. With a sneer, she retorted, "Isn't it?"
Park didn't like the edgy version of Corey who could succumb to darkness at any moment or get triggered over petty things. But she hated it more when Corey said she would be more like her parents having listened to the likes of the Field Marshal. In the world's eyes, they might be good soldiers, but to Park, they were just hardworking, kind-hearted people being manipulated by the Royal family, who took advantage of their love for their fellow citizens and country. Park would rather see Corey be edgy than like her parents.
The Demon Emperor Corey Park was kind, but one should not forget she had survived nearly a century in the Dark Realm. Her definition of kindness was borrowed from the demon dictionary, not the card apprentice dictionary. It was worth noting that in some dark race's dictionaries, kindness was listed as a synonym for foolishness.
"You're just an ego spirit. Considering who your master is, I don't blame you for your ignorance," the Field Marshal dismissed Park's remarks, assuming she was just an uninformed ego spirit of Corey.
"Just for that, I won't stop Corey when she goes full Darkside on your grandson," Park warned, as if she could already see how the battle between JJ and Corey would unfold. "What the heck is 'full Darkside"?" the Field Marshal asked, clearly confused. "You'll know when you see it," Park replied cryptically, a sly smile on her face. "Both you and your master need professional help," the Field Marshal said, feeling that both Corey and her ego spirit were delusional. Just when others were getting worried their argument would spiral into a fight, the duo ended their argument, hearing Corey's yell, "Why can't we leave the Seed World?"