Chương 39: Mother’s Return

"Tutor Damian, is there any other way to resist social skills besides Social Resistance and Focus?" I asked.

"No, Justin. The only options are social skills, which you may not get. You have asked that already," he told me.

"They are the absolute worst," I replied.

"Hmm, many people think so. That is why they aren't often used to their full extent. Subtlety is what people who specialize in such skills often focus on."

"I love my father, but the sheer embarrassment might kill me." Damian chuckled at that.

"Well, be glad it is your father and someone you can trust. Most nobles start such training around age 12, when they can be more easily embarrassed and have more secrets."

"Like what?"

"The secret depends on the person. The older they are, the more secrets they accumulate." I felt like he was lying, but I wasn't sure about what he was lying about. I ignored the feeling, since my mother trusted Damian. That meant I could trust him as well.

"The Supreme Warlady has returned and summoned both of you to her office," a servant entered the library, breathless, and blurted. I quickly got up, and so did Damian. We didn't run but hurried to her office. Running would be rude, but there was no way we would be slow. That she returned unannounced was a surprise. The door was open, so I entered. Healer Castelle was already there, and her three Squires, who looked quite tired and worn out.

"My son, it is good to see you are doing well. It was a…why is there a scar on his neck?" No one dared to breathe as my father entered her office.

"I wanted to talk to you first."

"Talk, Darren? Someone almost decapitated my son, and it disfigured his neck. I suggest you contemplate your next words, since you were responsible for his safety in my absence." She didn't move, but everyone felt the threat in the air.

"I would speak with you alone."

"Out, all of you," my mother ordered without thinking for longer than a second. I left along with everyone else to wait in the hallway. The office magically blocked out sounds and vibrations from the outside so that no one could spy on the inside. Everyone was silent and watched the door nervously. A minute went by, and then two. Finally, my father opened the door, unharmed. He said nothing as he left.

"Come back in," my mother ordered. We all went back into the office.

"Come here, let me look at you closely," my mother ordered, and I went around the desk to stand next to her. She grabbed my head and gently turned it to the side, looking closely at the scar.

"How bad was it, Healer Castelle?"

"Terrible. Trifecta of poisons, and the blade almost got to the spine. If I hadn't been right there, he would have died. I tried to minimize the scarring, but the poison lingered, bottoming out his healing points. An experienced Flesh Crafter can remove it." My mother let me go.

"I will leave that up to my son. It is his body, so he may decide if he wants to wear his scars openly or not." I noticed that she didn't hide her scars or long-term damage that had been left behind when she ran out of reserves.

"What about lasting effects?"

"The poison has cleared out, and he's got Poison Resistance. I inspected the wound several times, but it healed correctly. The only lasting mark is the faint scar on the surface of his neck," Healer Castelle reported.

"You have done well. Consider the debt you owe me repaid in full for your service," my mother said.

"I would see any lasting issues fixed before my departure and talk to whatever healer you hire next."

"I am glad to hear that. You do your profession credit. With a small bit of effort on my part, I have acquired a Mega Elixir. I had the Master Alchemist in charge of creating it fill out a sheet answering your questions," she said, and pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to our Healer.

"Let's see what foolishness this Master Alchemist has brewed up," he said. Everyone was quiet as he looked over the sheet of paper. After a minute, he finally spoke up.

"I need a moment to think this through and the possible interactions," he said, and my mother nodded.

"A few minutes is fine," she said, being surprisingly reasonable.

"But explain what you are thinking so I may better understand." There was the absolute demand I had been expecting from her.

"A Mega Elixir uses an indigo core as the primary ingredient and draws out stats through it, unlike a regular Elixir that refines through a special process to allow the stats to directly permeate a person's soul in a subtle process rather than a forceful one. This allows the Mega Elixir to be used multiple times, unlike a normal Elixir, except for one key issue. Alchemical or potion toxicity," Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"This Mega Elixir has an Alchemical toxicity that is highly concerning, and it lasts for a long time as well. If your son takes this, he cannot take another potion for at least 10 years and won't be able to take another Mega Elixir for 400 years or anything similar,""That is the concern. I know only that Alchemical toxicity reduces the effects of potions the more that are consumed."

"That is at the most basic effect. But once it gets high enough, the body will violently reject any potions or Alchemical products after a certain point, hurting instead of healing. This Mega Elixir is both genius and stupid. Genius, since it will increase all stats by 10 with no risk to the soul. But it is stupid because of the high toxicity. Potions are a life-saving resource in the dungeon. And I do mean 10 years for the most basic of potions."

"It increases toxicity that much?" my mother asked.

"We use the Rumbart Scale. Show me a healing potion you would use," he said, and my mother pulled one out.

"That is a 50 on the Rumbart Scale, fairly high potion toxicity, but expected of a powerful healing potion. Most people starting would use healing potions with a 5 on the Rumbart scale. At 100, the effect switches from helpful to harmful. You would need to take 2 of them quickly to reach that amount of toxicity, with the higher value on the Rumbart Scale making each successive potion less effective. The number decreases more rapidly the higher it is, regardless of skills or levels.

It is something that one needs specialized testing equipment to determine. I can say that Justin's toxicity is almost zero after watching him for so long. The Alchemical product that was the compressed heart had little."

"And how much on the Rumbart Scale is the Mega Elixir?"

"Around 9, 000. If your son takes this, he can't even look at any alchemical products without serious risk. With its power and how it integrates into his soul, the decrease on the Rumbart Scale will be much slower than normal. The Master Alchemist specifically notes this. That is why I say 10 and 400 years for no potions and only minor potions."

"What exactly is Alchemical toxicity? Is it like poison?" my mother asked. I was surprised she didn't know this. But perhaps she never studied such a thing in depth and wanted to hear what Healer Castelle would say.

"It is your soul resisting outside effects of an Alchemical nature. This Mega Elixir is very safe for its intended purposes, except for the Alchemical toxicity it leaves behind. Any future products made from Alchemy need to be treated carefully and not used. They will only hasten his death, and you can treat them as dangerous. Resistance skills don't work on this sort of thing since potions work on your body and soul."

"Is this an innate property of the Mega Elixir?"

"Yes. That's how your Master Alchemist got such a potent creation while minimizing all other side effects. Genius, it really is genius, but also stupid, as I said before. Instead of skills, it will be Alchemical products that risk your son's life."

"There are no skills to counter this?"

"As far as I know, no. They say there is a skill for everything. It wouldn't surprise me if your son developed a new resistance after taking this Mega Elixir. But mark my words, Supreme Warlady, it is risky long term."

"Son, what do you think?"

"I am not afraid. You worked hard to get me this Mega Elixir. I will take it," I said, and she nodded. While there were risks, I would have to avoid Alchemical products in the future. That didn't seem any riskier than not getting new skills.

"Good. To advance boldly, one must put fear of the unknown aside." She then reached out, and a shimmering crystal phial appeared in her hand, with a rainbow of colors coming from inside.

"Uncork it and drink it all at once," she said as I carefully took the vial from her hands. I steadied my breathing as everyone watched on. I uncorked the vial and drank it all at once. It had a horrible taste, like something had died in my mouth, but I forced myself to swallow every drop. I then set the phial on the desk while everyone stared at me. I felt woozy. Healer Castelle came over and touched my head.

"He is fine; it's just his soul that is being overwhelmed. With your permission, I will put him to sleep. It should allow the Mega Elixir to work better."

"Do it," my mother ordered." Sleep." I let out a gasp as I woke up. I was in my bed, but no one had changed me. My mother was sitting by my bedside along with Healer Castelle. Her Squires and Tutor Damian weren't present.

"Son," she said while leaning over me.

"Are you okay?"

"I feel fine. Thirsty." A servant rushed over with a glass of water and then rushed away. I sipped the water, and my sore throat eased.

"His soul needed time to adjust. Anyone can use the Mega Elixir, but it takes time for someone with lower stats to adjust," Healer Castelle said. I finished drinking.

"How long was I out for?"

"A day," my mother said. Oh, that wasn't too bad.

"Let him rest for the rest of the day. Check his stats tomorrow morning. Better to let everything settle first, just to be safe," Healer Castelle said.

"He will do that. Thank you for your guidance," my mother said.

"I will leave in three weeks," he replied.

"What, why?" I asked.

"While I was being paid to be here, a considerable amount of money, it was also a favor to your mother. I owed her for saving my life long ago, when I didn't want to be saved. Now I have repaid my debt, and a new healer will arrive."

"Thank you for everything."

"Idiot child! Don't go dying from something stupid," he muttered and left the room. My mother sent a glare at his back, but he didn't falter in the slightest.

"He shouldn't say such rude things to you."

"It is fine, he is just worried. He is a big softy, under all that gruffness."

"A shame, but he did well in guiding me regarding your health concerns and saving your life. He has repaid the debt."

"You saved him?"

"I found him alone while moving through the layers. His team was wiped out. Without my assistance, he would never have left the dungeon. Normally, I wouldn't have bothered, but he was a Healer and was still trying to bring his teammates back to life when I found him. Despite being a pitiable man with a broken will, he served well."

"Now what?" I asked hesitantly.

"Now, you tell me everything that happened while I was away. It appears I have been too lenient with certain people."

"My father did nothing."

"And that is the problem." She let out a soft sigh.

"Also, why I don't like dealing with nobles. You will quickly learn that the worst actions aren't from your enemies. You expect them to kill you. But what really hurts is when someone you trust fails you either through inaction or negligence."

"You aren't going to chop off his head?"

"He will make amends another way by correcting his mistake. Unfortunately, that also means we will depart as well."

"We are leaving?" I asked in shock.

"Yes, preparations are already being made. The Kingdom of Terander is no longer our home."

"What is going on?"

"You don't need to concern yourself with that." I wanted to argue. My father would have told me, but apparently, he had been keeping secrets. I wanted to know what was going on.

"I want to know."

"You can say things, but I have decided, my son. Now rest. We will discuss your skills tomorrow while I complete arrangements for our departure." My annoyance grew as my mother got up and left, but I was powerless. For the first time, I felt what everyone else felt when dealing with her, frustration and helplessness because I couldn't get my way.