Assimilate All Talents

[Mana: 24/5200]

Holding his aching head, he thought to himself, ’We were only there for a few minutes, yet all my mana, and even my psychic energy, was completely drained. I don’t think I regenerated anything; it all happened in a brief moment.’

Though they had spent what felt like several minutes traveling through time and fate, in reality, they had been gone for only a few seconds. Even if he could regenerate mana since it all occurred in an instant his physical body wasn’t able to regenerate more than 50 mana which ultimately added nothing to their duration.

If Wendy had been more proficient, she might have extended their stay, but even then, such a feat required an absurd amount of energy that they didn’t have. Only gods had the luxury of exploring fate and time as leisurely as Deus did, but even they would run out of energy eventually.

To speed up her recovery, Wendy took out a mana potion and drank it. Wiping a few drops that had spilled onto her lips, she said, "I need to inform the Princess and Commander Zaman about the impending danger, and the Black Tongue’s location."

"Wait, you can’t!" Sol exclaimed, hastily grabbing his own potion from his spatial ring and downing it in one gulp.

She stood up, steadying herself. "Don’t worry, I understand why you’d want to find him."

"You… do?" Sol asked, bewildered. He couldn’t fathom how she might have figured out they were his parents.

Wendy nodded, her mind already forming a plan. "Of course. We can assemble a strong team to take him down. With you, two of the Grand Knights, and maybe an A-rank adventurer or two, we can catch him by surprise. We’ll need to run this operation by the Sapphire Scale Alliance first, since it’s in their territory, but I doubt they’d refuse our help. You’ll have your revenge."

She began walking toward the door, but Sol sprang up and blocked her path. "Wait! Please, I don’t want anyone sent after them!"

He couldn’t bear the thought of causing a subjugation team to be sent after his parents. He didn’t want anyone to fight, be hurt, or die because of his personal quest.

"You’re not making any sense." Wendy said, unable to move past him. "Then why are you looking for a wanted criminal? Don’t tell me you plan to face him alone? You’ve only just reached A-rank! The Black Tongue has far more experience and abilities, not to mention Sylvia, another A-rank fighter under his control. You cannot defeat them on your own."

Wendy tried again to move around him, but Sol remained firm. His mind raced for a solution, any excuse to stop her, but his pounding headache made thinking difficult.

’What if… I silence her? No, I can’t!’

Sol shook the dark thought away, knowing that was a line he should never cross.

Wendy, still determined, pressed on. "Sol, we can discuss this later. Something big is coming, and if we don’t act now, it might be too late!"

Sol understood the urgency, but if he let her leave, she would likely reveal his parents’ location. Out of options, he resorted to the only option available to him, the truth.

"They’re my parents."

"Th-they’re your what?" Wendy froze, stunned. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Sol repeated, his voice more resolute this time. "My parents. Roman is my father, and Sylvia is my mother."

He quickly explained how they had become separated and how his memories had only recently been unsealed. However, he omitted mentioning Amber and her reasons for wanting to find his father, it wasn’t his story to tell. He only spoke of his own motivations.

Wendy remained silent, too shocked to respond, as Sol poured out his heart. When he finished, she still didn’t speak.

Desperate, Sol pleaded, "Please, don’t tell anyone where they are. My dad isn’t the same person he used to be."

Wendy could see how earnest being and knew that at the very least Sol believed what he was saying. She took a deep breath, her expression serious. "Are you sure? Do you realize how many assumptions you’re making? What if you’re wrong, and the Black Tongue is still committing crimes? What if your memories were tampered with to make you believe he’s your father? And even if you’re right, what about the crimes he’s already committed? Shouldn’t he be held accountable? Should he just walk free because he claims to have changed?"

Sol flinched under the barrage of questions, unable to respond. Taking a moment to steady himself, he finally said, "You’re right. I could be wrong, and I don’t have answers to all your questions. I didn’t even know where to start looking, which is why I came here in the first place. But I have to see them for myself. Once I do, I’ll know what to do."

It was true his claims were difficult to prove, but Sol had already verified the authenticity of his memories using his psychic energy. Meanwhile, the memories of the family he thought had been killed by a [Mind Shaper] were poorly constructed. He believed his father had created them in a rush while simultaneously building the mental barrier and altering the memories of the townsfolk.

Wendy studied him intently, as if trying to discern whether he was even sure of what he was saying. After a long silence, she said, "Move."

Sol hesitated for a moment, but stepped aside. He had made his case, and saying more would only make it worse. He only hoped he managed to get through to her.

At the door, Wendy paused, still not looking at him. "I won’t tell anyone—or turn you in, for that matter. Just go."

Before Sol could respond or thank her, the door slammed shut, leaving him alone in the room.