"Captain," Headmistress Holwen announced, "It's time for those details."
"My trust in the training hall was misplaced, ma'am," Khan stated.
"I'm in no mood for games," Headmistress Holwen pressed on.
Khan didn't know what to say. He had messed up, but not on purpose. The cloud spell's power had surpassed his expectations, and taking it down had forced him to fight seriously, which led to the hall's destruction.
Headmistress Holwen's intense glare remained on Khan, but the sizzling and creaking noises from behind eventually made her turn again. The training hall was truly a mess. It felt almost unreal that a third-level mage could cause so much damage.
As the amount of damage grew clearer in the Headmistress' mind, a silent realization arrived. She knew how resilient the training halls were. The fact that Khan had been able to destroy so much confirmed his prowess, which deserved praise.
"This isn't your first time, is it?" Headmistress Holwen eventually asked. "You created a similar mess on Reebfell."
'And Milia 222,' Khan thought before saying different words. "That's correct, ma'am. Though the problem was different there."
"Was it?" Headmistress Holwen scoffed. "I see the same results. You are a liability around training halls."
Khan's eyes widened. He knew where that conversation was going. Headmistress Holwen sounded one step away from forbidding him access to the training halls, and he couldn't allow it to happen so soon.
"Headmistress, ma'am," Khan muttered while dropping his jokes. "I promise I'll be more careful, but I need the training halls."
"Do you have any idea how much the reparations will cost?" Headmistress Holwen questioned.
"No," Khan admitted.
"Do you have the money to fix all of this?" Headmistress Holwen pressed on.
"Probably not," Khan remained honest.
"Why should I allow you into a training hall again then?" Headmistress Holwen asked.
Khan opened his mouth to speak but closed it right afterward. The Headmistress was right. He was dangerous, but stopping wasn't an option, and he told her exactly that.
"Ma'am," Khan cleared his throat. "I know myself. If I can't use these halls, I'll turn my flat into a training ground."
Headmistress Holwen initially dismissed those words, but only a second had to pass for her to realize what could happen. Her gaze snapped back to Khan as terrible thoughts ran through her mind. Khan had almost destroyed a training hall. If something similar happened in his flat, the entire building risked crumbling.
Khan could sense the doubt inside the Headmistress. Truth be told, he felt a bit guilty for putting her in that position. However, his training had priority.
Headmistress Holwen diverted her gaze, and an unusual awkwardness accompanied her voice when she spoke again. "Do you promise to be careful from now on?"
"Yes!" Khan promptly shouted. "Of course! You won't hear anything similar from me ever again!"
"Somehow, I doubt it," The Headmistress cursed. "Still, I guess I can close an eye due to your services. Make sure this doesn't happen again."
"It won't, ma'am," Khan promised.
"Get lost now," The Headmistress ordered while stepping inside the training hall and pulling out her phone.
"What about the reparations, ma'am?" Khan wondered since he feared the Global Army would make him pay something.
"I said get lost," Headmistress Holwen repeated while peeking at Khan past her shoulder. "Unless you want to wait for me to change my mind."
Khan wore a shameless smile and performed a military salute before hurrying outside the hall. He almost couldn't believe that he had gotten away with it, but his happy mood vanished as soon as he saw the crowd waiting for him on the sidewalk.
The people outside the building instinctively moved aside when the entrance opened, but seeing Khan on his own filled them with confidence. Shouts and requests soon left their mouths, but confusion followed when they noticed the poor state of Khan's uniform.
The battle against the cloud had been rough. Khan didn't only attempt to talk with it. He also had to unleash his best abilities to put it down, and his uniform had paid the price.
Khan's sleeves had basically disappeared. They had turned into a mess of burnt and torn rags that hung from his elbows. The same went for his trousers. Anything under his knees was in the open, and even his shoes had disappeared.
The holes covering Khan's uniform distracted the crowd only for a few seconds. The shouts soon resumed, but Khan had disappeared by then. The soldiers realized what had happened when he had already turned the closest corner.
Khan kept running until he felt sure to have reached a safe block. A simple message made a car arrive, and he jumped inside while giving precise directions. It was still early afternoon, so he planned to spend the rest of the day inside George's flat.
The situation was no different in the second district. Khan found a crowd in front of George's building, but soldiers were there to keep a path open. Khan could leave the car and cross the sidewalk safely without addressing any of the shouts coming in his direction.
"Do you know how many problems you are causing me?" George shouted as soon as Khan entered the main hall. "I can't take a single step outside without someone asking me about you."
"Are you worried someone might find out about your secret businesses?" Anita complained.
"I have no secret businesses!" George snorted. "I told you already."
"Welcome back," Monica announced.
Khan smiled when he inspected the scene. Monica, George, and Anita were on a couch, partially hidden by holograms coming out of the table in front of them. They were reviewing the International Regulations' notes, and Khan knew he would join them soon.
"What happened to you?" George commented when he peeked past the holograms and noticed the poor state of Khan's uniform.
"I might have overdone it in the training hall," Khan revealed while heading toward a free couch. "Come here for a bit. I need your help."
The three exchanged a glance before reaching Khan. Monica and George took their places at his sides while Anita looked at his phone from behind the couch.
"I want to buy one of these," Khan explained while browsing through Pandora's menus to reach the non-elemental spells. "What do you think?"
"Can you even afford them?" George wondered.
"I can lend you some money if you need it," Monica added.
"You don't even try to hide it anymore," Anita teased. "Mind telling me why you didn't come here last night?"
"I had things to sort out in my flat," Monica lied. "Also, I thought you two wanted to remain alone."
"This lost cause has to work another year for that," Anita scoffed.
"It didn't look like that last night," George commented, and Anita promptly delivered a slap on the top of his head.
"I blame you for this," George glared at Khan while pretending to be hurt.
"Don't make more problems for Khan," Anita scolded. "He already has a lot on his plate with my girl and the Princess."
Monica was in no mood to address the joke, especially after the previous night and the following morning. She remained silent but still grabbed Khan's torn sleeve while adding a questioning look.
"Can we go back to the topic?" Khan questioned. "I was thinking of going for items with bad compatibility with humans to save money, but I don't know what to choose."
"Ideally," Anita exclaimed, "Non-elemental spells are perfect for utility. They can boost perception, for example."
"Khan doesn't need any of that," George stated. "Do you need new attacks?"
"No," Khan replied. "I'm more than fine there."
"Go for defensive spells then," Monica suggested.
"But I probably have the best one already," Khan pointed out.
"Do you mean that one?" George asked, making sure to remain vague.
"Yes," Khan confirmed. The two didn't need anything else to know that they were both talking about the [Blood Shield].
"These two and their secrets," Anita cursed. "Monica, we need to stick together against them."
"Guys, the list," Khan called.
"You should get something with a wider range," George suggested. "See if the filters help you."
Khan tinkered with the menus until he isolated all the defensive spells. The list had shrunk greatly, but he still had many options, especially on the expensive side.
"How much do you have?" George couldn't help but ask.
Khan sighed before changing the filters again. His recent shopping spree had taken less than fifty thousand Credits from him, but he still had to hear from Master Cansend. Also, he would rather avoid going broke.
"Two hundred," Khan revealed. "Maybe a bit more if the spell is worth it."
"That's not much," Anita admitted.
"It's worse than I thought," George continued.
"I should be able to ignore some compatibility issues," Khan explained. "I might even modify the spell if needed."
"Give me that," Monica eventually ordered while leaning on Khan's shoulder.
Khan complied, and Monica's expert thumbs brought the phone to a different menu, which strangely had affordable prices. Yet, a second look revealed that the numbers next to the various items were starting bids. Monica had opened Pandora's imminent auctions.
"Monica, I understand wanting to help Khan," Anita exclaimed, "But this can't work. Pandora's last auction reached twenty-three million, and it was about wine."
"It will work for Khan," Monica stated. "No one will try to raise the price once he shows interest in an item."
"Oh, that's smart," George exclaimed. "It might really work."
"I didn't think about that," Anita gasped. "Your mother truly taught you well."
"What am I missing?" Khan asked, glancing left and right to inspect his companions' faces.
"Khan, the entire Harbor wants to establish a good relationship with you," Monica explained while browsing through the imminent auctions. "No one will bid against you over a non-elemental spell."
"Oh," Khan understood Monica's thinking. "Are you sure? Am I that famous?"
"You don't know the half of it," Monica commented before pressing on one of the items. "This sounds promising."
Everyone gathered closer to inspect the item's description. Monica had chosen a non-elemental spell capable of releasing a spherical shield that could theoretically deflect any incoming attack. Its starting price was also one hundred thousand Credits, which was in Khan's range.
'Low compatibility with humans,' Khan read while taking the phone from Monica's hands. 'High consumption of mana. Even a suitable element might fail to provide the desired effects.'
"With your control," Monica announced, "You should have no problem making it work."
"It is quite good," George added.
'The mana consumption isn't a problem,' Khan thought while rereading the description. 'My mana anomaly should also help. I wonder how strong it actually is.'
"The auction is in two weeks," Anita exclaimed. "You wouldn't even miss the trip on Nippe 2."
"Right, the trip," Khan recalled. "Is the Princess still set on coming?"
The advanced courses weren't only about studying. They also involved trips and tests in specific locations, and the first would come next week. As for Nippe 2, it was the orange planet near the Harbor.
"She can hardly contain herself," Monica sighed. "She isn't here today because of the many preparations her family requires."
"What about you?" Khan asked while glancing at George. "Did you gain access to the advanced classes?"
"Sadly," George cursed. "I'll be drowned in homework like all of you next week."
"Don't be lazy about your future," Anita scolded.
Khan wanted to add a joke, but his phone began to buzz. The Divine Architects was calling him, and he didn't dare to refuse it.
"Hello?" Khan exclaimed.
"Captain, I hope I'm not disturbing," Master Cansend's voice came out of the phone.
"Not at all," Khan reassured. "Is this about the project?"
"Correct," Master Cansend confirmed. "I have the estimate you asked me about. I'm afraid I can't go under ninety-five thousand Credits. Is it acceptable?"
"It is," Khan stated. "How should I proceed to the payment?"
"I'll send a message with the necessary instructions," Master Cansend explained. "As for the knife, I'll get to work on it immediately. It might arrive before the end of the month."
"That would be great," Khan exclaimed. "Thank you, Master Cansend. I can't wait to see your creation."
"You are too kind, Captain," Master Cansend replied. "Have a nice evening."
"You too," Khan responded, and the call ended.
"New gear?" George asked once Khan reopened Pandora's menu.
"I needed to change my old knife," Khan explained while drawing his weapon to show it to George. "It's full of cracks already."
"You forgot the holes," George laughed. "What did you even do to it?"
"Milia 222," Khan explained shortly. "My element is troublesome too."
"You might be able to sell it," Monica suggested while reaching for the knife. "There has to be a collector among your fans."
"Why would anyone want a broken knife?" Khan asked.
"Because it belonged to you," Monica explained. "The weapon that defeated the Nak's hand. It should be a good selling point."
"Oh," Khan realized as his eyes met Monica's. "I knew consulting you was a good idea."
"I'm the best g-," Monica smirked before interrupting her line. She lifted her gaze and found Anita looking at her in confusion and surprise, which made sense considering her position.
Monica was basically lying on Khan's arm. She didn't seem to mind how her chest pressed on his shoulder, and their faces were also quite close. In theory, a wealthy descendant should never put herself in a similar situation.
"We wasted enough time," Monica cleared her throat as she turned to face the holograms and left Khan's arm. "We still have much to study, especially with the imminent trip."
"And this couch is far too crowded," George scoffed while standing up and glancing at Anita. "Care to join me on the other?"
"Someone has to make sure that you are paying attention," Anita stated and began to follow George, but she still shot a meaningful look at the couple.
Khan feigned ignorance and turned to show a smirk when George and Anita weren't looking. Still, Monica had the same idea and used that chance to give him a quick kiss before focusing on the holograms.
"Needy girl," Khan whispered but soon eyed the holograms. He had handled most of his problems, so it was time to study.
