"I have no ill will toward him, nor do I wish to divide you," Professor X's sub-personality said thoughtfully. "But I know his stubbornness better than you do. This is a difference in ideals—there's no absolute right or wrong, only different understandings."
"And why are you so sure I'd lean toward your ideals instead of the Professor's?" Sage asked, sounding almost like a stubborn young girl refusing to admit defeat.
"Because the other you, after what she went through in that world, changed even more than I did," the sub-personality replied, shaking his head. "I know you're not her, but I believe your core nature is the same."
"You're someone who will bravely choose the right path when it matters. And of course, if you refuse to help me, I would never force you."
"You mean that even if I don't agree, you'd still let me go?" she asked cautiously.
"Of course. I've said—despite my differences with him, I have no intention of harming anyone."
The answer didn't bring Sage relief. If anything, it made her more conflicted.
With each exchange, the last sliver of doubt in her heart had vanished. She now truly believed this "Second Professor" was indeed the Professor from another world.
It wasn't just the content of their conversation—it was a certain special familiarity.
When people who know each other well talk, even if one wears a mask or alters their voice, there's still that feeling.
That was exactly how it felt now.
Though he wore Raymond's face, to her he was clearly the Professor she respected.
That mental dissonance, the clash of loyalties, left her feeling unsettled.
"Alright, no need to look so troubled. I'm not asking you to give me an answer right now." The sub-personality smiled suddenly. "Go rest. When you've decided, just tell me."
"I'll likely be with Dr. Raymond for the time being. When you've made up your mind, you can contact him to reach me."
"…Thank you for understanding."
Sage bowed deeply to him before turning to leave.
It was obvious her attitude had completely shifted from before.
Once she was gone, Raymond chuckled and asked, "Aren't you worried she'll go and tell the other you?"
"She won't," the sub-personality replied without hesitation.
"Oh? That sure of yourself?"
"They're all my children. I know them better than anyone. If it were Ororo, I'd never use this method."
"Tessa is different—what she respects most isn't the person, but the ideal they represent. She once believed the other me's ideal was the right one, enough to give her life for it. But after seeing those memories, there's no going back. The longer she thinks, the closer she'll come to me."
Raymond's tone turned a little odd.
"Don't you think the way you're talking now sounds a bit like a villain, Professor?"
Professor X's sub-personality gave a self-deprecating smile.
"When the survival of an entire race is at stake, there's no such thing as hero or villain."
"Alright, let's drop the philosophy. Let's get to the point—are you planning to replace the other you?" Raymond asked.
"That depends on you, my new boss," the sub-personality replied, tossing the decision back to Raymond.
Raymond had told him to call him by name, but in the end, he still used the same title as the others.
"This world isn't mine. If I'm able, I wouldn't mind helping them. But if it's beyond my power, then I'll simply apologize," the sub-personality said with a shrug.
His meaning was simple—everything would follow Raymond's lead.
If helping this world's mutants didn't harm Raymond, or even benefited him, then he was willing to make the effort. But if it caused problems, he wouldn't insist. After all, this was only a parallel world to him.
Raymond didn't think this was empty talk. First, there was no need for it, and second, his sub-personalities had no secrets from him—though they didn't know this themselves.
He could clearly sense that Professor X's sub-personality did want to help the mutants here, but not strongly enough to make it an absolute mission. His earlier words had been the truth.
And Raymond had no reason to oppose it—if the sub-personality could really take the lead of this world's X-Men, it would bring him a huge amount of Universal Points.
Not to mention the smaller events along the way that could yield even more rewards. It was a big, fluffy sheep just waiting to be sheared.
Why would he stop him?
With that thought, Raymond smiled.
"I have no objection. Go ahead. When we get back from this trip, if Tessa really changes her mind like you say, I'll let you act as you see fit."
"Thank you." The sub-personality nodded slightly.
"You're that confident?"
"It's not confidence—it's trust. If they don't even have that level of awareness, then even if I wanted to help them, it would be pointless," the sub-personality replied with a light smile.
"Then I'll just sit back and enjoy the show." Raymond grinned with interest.
After a few more words, he withdrew the sub-personality and began checking the new system feature in his mind.
"I wonder if this function was triggered because a sub-personality expressed an unfulfilled wish for the first time, or because the system keeps unlocking new functions as I progress," he thought.
For a system that often threw out new tricks, Raymond was long past being surprised.
The previous features had all appeared gradually and proved very useful.
"Let's see who's on the list…"
Curious, Raymond opened the interface—
Kuro—Seize Kaya's estate. Activation cost: 50 Universal Points.
Exorcist—Completely defeat Heavenly Crippled Foot and the Hollow Gentleman to become the world's No. 1 exorcist. Activation cost: 100 Universal Points.
Heavenly Crippled Foot—Completely defeat the Exorcist and the Hollow Gentleman to become the world's No. 1 exorcist. Activation cost: 100 Universal Points. (TL/N: One of the personality he got from drawing 10 bronze characters)
Deadshot—Save Gotham City once, become its true hero, and earn his daughter's admiration. Activation cost: 300 Universal Points.
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