Assimilate All Talents

Chapter 288: Spending Time

After his meeting with Zaman, Sol left the palace and met up with the squad at a tavern. He spent the rest of the evening enjoying the drinks and the joyous atmosphere. Though he maintained a smile and laughed along with their jokes, every so often, when no one was looking, his smile would fade, and he would stare off into the distance.

No one really noticed this except Duncan, who, taking the opportunity of Aron challenging a self proclaimed professional drinker to a drinking contest, subtly slid over and asked, "Hey, is everything alright? Did something happen when you met with the Commander?"

Sol lightly shook his head. He silently activated [Muffled Movements] to block their conversation from eavesdroppers, then asked, "Do you remember what I told you on our first mission, when you asked me why I picked you for this team?"

Duncan noticed the noise of the tavern had disappeared and understood that what they were going to discuss was serious. He nodded. Though it had been some time ago, he could recall that conversation as clear as day.

"Yeah, you wanted to give me a real chance of promotion. Why are you bringing it up now? Are you being promoted already?"

Duncan found it odd for Sol to mention this again so soon, as he expected it would be at least two years before Sol either got promoted or retired.

Sol shook his head again. "No, I’m going to be leaving soon. And I’ll be honest, it may not be on the best of terms with the Royal Knights."

Duncan frowned, worried by what he meant. "What? Is someone targeting you? Is it someone in power, or does it have to do with the recent crimes being framed on other knights?"

It had been a known issue lately, where royal knights were getting dragged into controversies or caught committing crimes. If it was just one or two cases, Duncan might have believed it, but after over 20 squads had been involved in such drama, it was clear to him and many others that there was outside intervention.

"No, not me as far as I know. It’s... umm, hard to fully explain, but just know in a week I’ll likely be gone, and it may be without a word. I’ve already talked to Zaman about you on a few occasions, and with you working on your law technique, it’s guaranteed you’ll become the next captain of the squad. Please don’t tell the others."

"I... don’t know what to say. Do you really need to go? You know that leaving like this will make you a wanted man. The Royal Knights detest deserters."

Duncan was torn. The time he had been waiting for years had finally arrived, but at the same time, he was reluctant to part ways with his current Captain. They had been through a lot in a short period of time, and he didn’t want it to end so soon. Reminding Sol of the risks was, in a way, his attempt at persuading him to stay.

Sol felt similarly. Though he had come with the intent to leave as soon as he got what he needed, he hadn’t considered the new friends and allies he would be leaving behind. But he had already made his choice and didn’t plan to turn back.

"I have to. Regardless of the consequences," Sol said with determination. While he wanted to explain more, he didn’t want Duncan to become an accomplice or get involved.

Seeing the look in Sol’s eyes, Duncan knew there was no persuading him otherwise. He glanced at the squad, who were enjoying themselves in the distance, and finally agreed.

"Okay, I understand. And I promise I’ll take care of them. But I gotta say, you’re leaving me some rather big shoes to fill. I don’t think I’ll be able to be like you."

Sol chuckled. "You don’t have to. Just be yourself."

The two finished their drinks and went to join the others, not wanting to spend the rest of the evening worrying about the future. They simply enjoyed themselves.

Sol nodded. There was no point in lying and digging himself into a deeper hole. It would just make the Commander think worse of him. And after all the Commander had done for him, it didn’t feel right to deny the truth.

"What’s going to happen now?" Sol asked.

What he had done went against numerous rules and laws. As an official royal knight working under the crown, he had indirectly tampered with the testing tools during the Knight Selection and knowingly hid his capabilities, both significant offenses. If they scrutinized all the rules he had broken, it would be enough to easily imprison a lesser noble.

The two stared at each other in silence as Sol awaited an answer.

"Before I answer, I need to know what we are dealing with. Is it an object, or is it due to your talent or talent skill?"

"We?" Sol asked, surprised.

"Yes. You don’t have to tell me everything, just what you’re willing to share."

Zaman knew Sol well enough to understand he hadn’t hidden his abilities out of ill intent. After all, he had not only personally taught him but had also seen the choices he made and actions he took, ones Zaman greatly approved of.

It was most likely for his own safety, and Zaman could understand why. According to the reports, Sol wielded the power of nearly ten different talents, not including passive enhancing ones. If word got out, he would quickly become the center of attention, attracting rulers seeking a powerful fighter and necromancers wanting to study his body to uncover his secrets. There were only a few rare scenarios where such a thing could be possible, and Zaman needed more information to decide the best course of action.

To prevent eavesdroppers, Sol used [Muffled Movements], creating a bubble around them, which caused Zaman to raise his eyebrows.

’[Muffled Movements]... That’s a skill that belongs to another talent group.’ Zaman thought.

It was common to see this skill in talents related to stealth, assassination, and scouting, but it didn’t align with any of the abilities reported so far.

"Well... I don’t want to go into exact details, as the fewer people who know, the better. But when I was young, I never unlocked my first talent, even after reaching level five."

"So you were Talentless..."

Sol nodded. "I hated that label. I wanted to be like everyone else and have a talent of my own, so I kept leveling. A few years of effort later, it eventually happened, I got a talent."

Sol stopped there, feeling that was enough information, and he wasn’t comfortable sharing more. Zaman understood that as well. It was a very reductive version of the story, but it was sufficient for him.

"This may come as a surprise to you, but I’ve heard of this before." Zaman said.

"You have?"

Zaman nodded. "It’s from one of the books kept on the third floor of the Royal Library. It contains the most extensive record of all known talents in the world, listing the skills that could be acquired and the random talent skills they could give. But in such a book, there’s a portion dedicated to a level above legendary talents, mythic talents."