Assimilate All Talents

In one of the tables of the theater located near the corner of the room, Sol and Diana were seated.

“Warn me? What for?”

“Remember the harbinger we were hunting?”

“Yeah, What about it?”

Sol hoped this wasn’t another attempt to recruit him to join the search for the harbinger. He already made his stance clear, and even if they gave him the Blessed Boots of the Sky, it wouldn’t change his response. Even if he was willing to help he had to travel to the capital to find out his parents location from the saintess.

“I didn’t plan to involve you after you made your stance clear, but you might be in danger. This harbinger has been extremely elusive, and we have yet to catch him, but based on reports and evidence, we have reason to believe they are after you.”

“Why me?”

“Because you killed their first follower. That shaman was apparently someone the harbinger cared for deeply, and he resents whoever killed him. A few who have survived their encounter with the harbinger all report him asking for the person who killed his shaman.”

Sol found this hard to believe, “Can a goblin even care for others? Aren’t they monsters?”

Diana shook her head disapprovingly, “Goblins are social creatures, just like us. Just because they're considered monsters doesn't mean they don't feel and think just like us. They may have different values or customs, but that doesn’t stop them from being able to form relationships and bonds. You will do well to keep this in mind when encountering other races and monsters alike.”

It seemed that Sol hit a nerve, and honestly what she said didn’t sound wrong; he had just never thought of it that way.

“I see, I’m sorry if I hit a nerve.”

“It’s fine. I just have good friends that are goblins. Some are even fellow followers of Caela.”

Sol had never thought of monsters as more than just stronger beasts, which was why he never had difficulty killing enemies like kobolds and goblins. Knowing that even goblins can become loyal followers of gods was a lot to process. While he wanted to take time to think of his previous actions, he had other matters to focus on for now.

“So… the harbinger is looking for me. Does he know it was me?”

“As far as we can tell, not yet. Luckily, very few people know of your involvement in this, so its efforts so far have been in vain. I’m still warning you as that can change at any moment, so always have your guard up. Hopefully, we will subjugate the harbinger before it can find you, but as I said, this one is especially elusive. It somehow manages to disappear every time one of our stronger members gets near its location; we believe it is thanks to his bestowed skill that he is able to evade us.”

Now understanding the reason for the visit, Sol still had one more question.

“What about the Blessed boots, I know you had a hand in it.”

Diana let out a small laugh, “Haha, was it that obvious? Think of it as an apology for what I did before. I can tell by the fact you still have your guard up that you still haven’t truly forgiven me. Though another reason why I permitted Loraline to give the boots to you is because I believe you have the potential to go far. With those blessed boots, I am sure Caela will protect you until you get there.”

Sol was speechless. While he hadn’t yet forgotten being poisoned, he saw she was trying to put an effort to mend the relationship. Sol wasn’t sure why she was going to such lengths for a C-Class adventurer, and he didn’t fully believe the reasons she stated. He thought she would ask him to turn in the boots that rightfully belonged to the church or something along those lines.

‘Maybe I am overthinking it. There's a line between being wary and shutting out others.’

Sol could see he was becoming a bit paranoid. He didn’t want to live always being wary of the ulterior motives of others. That didn’t mean Sol would blindly trust everyone, but he will at the very least give the benefit of the doubt.

“Thank you for the gift. It will be useful when I travel to the capital.”

“You're going to the capital?”

‘Whoops, should I have let that slip?’

It’s too late to take back what he said, so he simply nodded.

“Yeah, in a day or so.”

Diana had a look of relief, “That’s probably for the best. Not only is the capital a great place for growth as they have the only A-Rank Dungeon in the kingdom, but it will also be safer for you. The harbinger is mostly active around this city and nearby towns, and the capital is far south, so they won't be able to find you even if they figure out it was you.”

“I forgot about the dungeon! I’ll definitely check it out when I get there.”

“It’s a difficult dungeon. I would recommend entering once you're B-Rank and find a good party. I know you are a strong magic swordsman, but there is only so much an individual can do.”

‘It might be impossible if I was just a magic swordsman, but I am confident I can manage.’

Sol’s level may be behind a normal B-Ranker, but because of his attribute skills, he was just as strong as an early B-Ranker. If one added all his other skills, Sol was confident in being able to solo the dungeon if needed. At most, he might have to stick to the early floors until his level catches up.

Not voicing his real thoughts, Sol agreed, “Hopefully a strong party will be willing to take me in.”

“I'm confident you will find a party suitable for you. I have taken more of your time than I intended, I'm sorry. May Caela watch over you from the skies.”

“Thanks, send word to me once you deal with the harbinger.”

Diana nodded before leaving the inn. Sol did not wait around and immediately went back to his room. He eyed his bed, and with a determined expression, he jumped towards it.

“Sweet dreams take me away!”

A loud bang was heard from below Sol.

A muffled voice screamed from under his floor, “QUIET!”

Sol didn’t know the walls were so thin and quietly apologized, “Sorry…”

He laid on his bed and closed his eyes as sleep quickly took him to the land of dreams.