Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

711  Daniel’s Dilemma

— Olympus —

Within the secret realm of Olympus, where the Greek pantheon hides in the safety of an environment rich with mana, the gods live in comfort. This secret realm was built through the blood and sacrifices of countless believers, as well as the cooperation of powerful mages. The immense sacrifices made have ensured that the realm contains enough mana for the gods to live carefree lives without overindulging in acts like creating miracles for their followers.

This mana-rich environment is sufficient to sustain them for thousands of years, with enough excess to bless their followers and perform small miracles to attract more devotees.

In the audience hall of Olympus, Zeus is meeting with Hephaestus, who has come to report on the progress of their plan to return to the mortal world.

"My lord, according to my calculations, in just five more years, the world will be ready for our descent," Hephaestus reports.

Zeus nods in satisfaction. The time is nearing for the Olympian gods to reclaim what was once theirs.

"What about Hermes and the others?" This time, it is Hades who speaks. He already knows who stole the souls from his collection and resurrected them.

"Is it confirmed that Hermes has been resurrected alongside those mortal heroes?" Poseidon inquires.

"Yes, Lord Poseidon. Although we do not know how Daniel Emberweave achieved it, the fact that he has resurrected a god and stolen souls from your collection has been confirmed. Perhaps this is one of the abilities he gained when he accessed the power of the Akashic Record," Hephaestus replies.

Listening to Hephaestus, all the gods in the Olympus court wear expressions of complexity, uncertainty, and fear of the unknown gnawing at their minds. It's important to understand that resurrecting a god is entirely different from resurrecting a mortal. The difficulty and power required to resurrect a god are so immense that even Hades, cooperating with the entire Olympian Pantheon, could not achieve it.

When a god dies, it is an entirely different matter compared to a mortal. A god's soul vanishes from the world and cannot be summoned by anyone, as it slips beyond the realm they can perceive.

There is a theory that when a god dies, their soul either vanishes entirely or becomes one with the Akashic Record. Regardless, the fact remains that a god's soul cannot be perceived, even in the realm of the dead. The same applies to titans. This has left the Olympian court wondering how Daniel managed to accomplish such a feat.

Seeing the bitter expressions on the faces of the Olympian court, Hephaestus speaks up. "My lord, I know you are concerned about Daniel Emberweave. But you can rest assured. Daniel Emberweave has been sent to the future. I believe we have plenty of time to plan for his eventual return."

This reassurance brings a glimmer of hope to the gods in the court. "Truly?" Hades asks. He is the one who holds the most resentment toward Daniel, though his desire to punish Daniel is deterred by fear of potential repercussions.

"It's true, Lord Hades. I have received confirmed reports from my sources within New Atlantis. It is stated that Daniel Emberweave has been absent from the public eye for several years. Coupled with the latest operation from the Hightower before it was dismantled by the Order of Ember, it confirms that an operation was launched to send Daniel to the future."

Hearing Hephaestus's explanation, Hades lets out a relieved smile.

"Hephaestus, can you find a way to contact Hermes, Odysseus, or Heracles? Try reaching out to them and see if they can be persuaded to join our cause," Zeus commands.

"Yes, my lord. I'll do my best," Hephaestus replies before excusing himself and leaving the Olympian secret realm.

Zeus watches the exit where Hephaestus departed, his mind wandering to thoughts of his son, who has always been physically challenged. Today, however, he noticed that Hephaestus did not use a wheelchair as he had in the past.

Is this a sign of ambition? Does Hephaestus no longer need the wheelchair to garner sympathy? Is he planning something?

Unknown to Hephaestus, his decision to use a prosthetic leg has made his father, who has never loved him or allowed him to call him "father," suspect that Hephaestus might harbor ambitious plans—or even seek revenge.

"I hope you know your place… Hephaestus…" Zeus decides that after this, he will impose some restrictions on Hephaestus to test his loyalty. But that will have to wait until Hephaestus returns from his mission.

Zeus only has Hephaestus, the Olympian god who can freely traverse the mortal realm. Any punishment will need to wait.

As the morning light slips through the window curtains, it touches the bed where a couple lies snuggled together, sharing each other's warmth.

Daniel finally awakens from his slumber, looking at the goddess-like woman with purple hair resting naked on his arm. His memories return to the previous night—the heated moments between him and Envy, or in this era, Morgan le Fay.

"Good morning…" a kind, sweet voice greets him as Morgan whispers in his ear, her eyes filled with affection.

"Um… Good morning," Daniel replies, still somewhat stunned.

"Get changed first, my love, and I'll whip up something for you," Morgan says with a smile before kissing Daniel on the cheek and getting up. Her dainty, perfectly sculpted body, as if carved by the gods themselves, is briefly exposed to the sunlight.

Daniel gazes at Morgan's captivating figure for a moment until she notices and looks back at him with a mischievous smirk. Regaining his composure, Daniel quickly gets up from the bed where he shared a passionate night with Morgan le Fay.

Morgan uses the quilt to robe herself, hiding her well-sculpted body, before she removes the entire bedsheet. The sheet bears distinct marks from last night's activities, including several blotches of questionable liquid and a red dot of blood on the white fabric.

"That's my bedsheet!" Daniel protests as he watches Morgan take the sheet and keep it for herself.

"Sorry, it's mine now," Morgan replies nonchalantly, smiling sweetly at him. She then walks over to Daniel. "Don't be stingy, my love. Go get changed. I'll whip something up for you. You don't want your students to wait for their lesson, do you?" Morgan says as she affectionately pats Daniel's bare chest.

"Let them wait. What are they going to do about it?" Daniel responds dominantly.

"Don't be like that…" Morgan smiles and gently pushes him toward the bathroom. "Come on, go and get changed first."

Daniel can't help but follow her lead and walks into the bathroom.

After Daniel enters the bathroom, Morgan neatly folds the bedsheet and stores it in her personal bag, made from animal hide and sealed with magical enchantments, as if it were a treasure. She gazes at the bag for a moment, then lets out a soft chuckle, as if recalling a pleasant memory. She quickly dresses herself and heads to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her beloved.

Inside the bathroom, Daniel reflects on the events of the previous night. They had finally decided to take their relationship to the next level. He remembers Envy telling him that the first man in her life was Merlin. And now… he is Merlin. Even though he had initially used the name to lure out the real Merlin, who would have thought that he was Merlin all along?

"Shit… How am I supposed to tell her my real name?" Daniel mutters to himself in front of the mirror, feeling depressed. The name "Merlin" was something he made up, and it's not his real name. Now, if he were to tell her the truth, he's afraid she might hate him for lying to her.

Daniel struggles with what to do next, but after a few minutes of deliberation, he decides to let it be. Since he is Merlin, he will continue to be Merlin. Telling Envy of this era his true identity isn't something he needs to worry about right now. It's a problem his future self will have to solve.

But… if he is Merlin, then the reason for Merlin's sudden disappearance might be because he returned to the future. Should he change that and stay with her instead? If he does, things could change drastically.

If he stays with Envy, what happens to the "original" Daniel in the original timeline? Will Daniel even exist? What will happen to him? Moreover, if he stays, much of history could be altered, and the people he cherishes in the future might never come to exist.

That is what he fears the most. He has no choice but to return to the future… but until that time comes, he will give Envy all the love and attention he can.

With all this in mind, there's only one difficult thing left for him: how to break the news to her and how to assure her that they will meet again in the future.

"Sigh~ This… feels like shit," Daniel mutters to himself. He has never felt like such a jerk before.