Francis retreated, jumping backward to put distance from his opponent. Meanwhile, orange sparks gathered at the center of his palms and clashed with each other to generate an explosive reaction.
George wore an annoyed expression as he slowly chased after Francis. The latter was fast, faster than him, but the training hall's wall would eventually arrive. There was a limit to how much Francis could retreat.
The explosive reactions ended with Francis snapping his arms forward. Two orange lightning bolts flew at high speed and with extreme precision toward George, but he only needed to twist his fingers to cut them in half.
Loud crackling noises filled the hall as the lightning bolts exploded, sending sparks everywhere. A blinding orange flash hindered Francis' vision, but his eyes widened in shock when he saw George sprinting through it.
Francis retreated once more, but a gasp escaped his mouth when his back hit the metal wall. He inspected his surroundings to find an escape route, but George accelerated, making the next clash inevitable.
Orange sparks gathered in Francis' palms to prepare an offensive, but George sent more mana to his right hand while taking a deep breath. His arm rose, performing a smooth, seemingly slow waving motion that sent a dark-silver flash forward.
A clanging noise resounded when an oblique cut opened above Francis. The attack distracted him, disrupting his mana and dispersing his sparks. He quickly tried to summon his spell again, but a dark-silver sharp tip suddenly reached his throat.
"You are dead," George declared, pointing two fingers at Francis. A five-meter-long ethereal sword stretched from them, and the slightest gesture could make it pierce Francis' throat.
Francis was no stranger to that outcome. George had already defeated him twice that morning, so he retracted his mana to mark his surrender. He lowered his head in defeat, and George snorted before dispersing his sword.
"You failed to mind your surroundings again," George scolded, "And you keep escaping. You are faster than me, so you can face my sword head-on."
"I understand," Francis weakly said.
George rolled his eyes. That wasn't the face of someone who had truly understood his words, and glancing at the hall's stalls didn't help. Khan was there, immersed in his phone's screen and seemingly unaware of the sparring session. He was studying the notes Monica had prepared for him, and his gaze didn't move even once during the battle.
"Review our exchanges," George ordered, dismissively waving his hand. "We'll resume in five."
Francis nodded and looked at the uncaring Khan for a few seconds before sitting on the floor. Menus opened, allowing him to review the battle and gain additional information due to the hall's scanners.
Meanwhile, George walked toward the stalls before jumping on them to reach Khan. He had complaints ready, but Khan spoke before him. "You are going too easy on him."
"You got the okay to train him only yesterday," George pointed out. "His mind isn't into it yet."
"Then, rough him up," Khan said, keeping his eyes on the phone. "He won't learn anything if he keeps escaping all the time."
"Did you grow eyes on the sides of your head now?" George snorted. His comment carried no insults but hid genuine concern. It was hard to see Khan as a simple human when he saw so much.
"Peace and women made you soft," Khan joked, lifting his gaze to smile at his friend. "Maybe you should show him your sword."
"Don't even joke about it," George shook his head, performing a grabbing motion toward the bottle at Khan's side. "I'll really hurt him if I use it."
"I thought you learnt to control yourself," Khan teased, throwing the bottle at George.
"Since you are so full of wisdom and orders," George complained, catching the bottle, "Why don't you train him yourself?"
"I don't trust myself," Khan said, putting away his phone to wait for the bottle to return. "Besides, I thought you would have enjoyed this break."
George took a long sip from the bottle before sitting beside Khan. He handed Khan the booze, who also drank. Neither bothered to mention the early hour, and the time for serious talks naturally arrived.
"She still worries," George commented.
"They never stop worrying," Khan said. "We aren't exactly the brightest and most careful soldiers in the world."
"We do have good looks," George stated, accepting the bottle.
"That we have," Khan nodded. "Luckily, Monica isn't weirded out by my hair."
"Do you think she was serious about the pregnant thing?" George asked.
"Probably," Khan voiced, showing his palm to wait for the bottle. "It's not like we are being careful. Her birth control made us lose any self-restraint."
"As if you ever had any to begin with," George snickered. "You would have robbed medical bays if I weren't here to solve your condom issue."
"It was way easier on Nitis," Khan cursed. "Why can't humans invent reusable ones? How hard can it be?"
"So people can use their parents' condoms," George teased.
"We don't talk about that," Khan warned. "Well, I guess things are better than ever now."
"Monica's parents hate you," George listed, "Most descendants want to ride your fame, the Harbor is using you as an errand boy, and you are stuck training your love rival. Things couldn't be any better."
"You forgot Wayne and the criminal organization," Khan reminded.
"That's the cherry on top," George chuckled.
"At least I have you," Khan stated, showing a faint but genuine smile.
"Don't do that," George warned. "Keep your puppy eyes for Monica."
"She is just jumping on me lately," Khan sighed as the exchange of booze continued.
"That must feel terrible," George snorted, "So terrible I feel like punching you."
"I'm not the one putting kinky ideas in her mind," Khan pointed out.
"That's what friends are for," George claimed before squinting his eyes when he noticed that Khan was lost in his thoughts. "Wait, did it work?"
"I'm not telling you anything," Khan exclaimed.
"You had your eyes on her butt for a while," George snickered. "Maybe her lying skills are better than I imagined."
"Shut it," Khan scoffed. "Focus on Anita instead. You know you don't need to break up with her, right?"
"It would be a crime to keep all this greatness away from other women," George joked.
"It's not like you'll get deployed or anything," Khan continued. "It's time to settle, start a family, and take over your father's position."
"Kill me already," George cursed.
"It can't be so bad," Khan laughed. "Peace, love, and money. What more can a man desire?"
"More love, more money," George declared. "Anyway, we both know you are saying this to keep me sheltered and safe."
"How is that bad?" Khan wondered.
"That's your dumb side speaking," George scolded. "Don't worry about others when you have so much on your plate."
"Hey, I'm doing far better," Khan claimed. "I'm not as dumb as I used to be."
"Says who?" George chuckled. "You are just wearing better clothes in my eyes."
"I'm-!" Khan wanted to complain, but George was right. It was easy to find similarities between his behavior with Liiza and Monica, especially in its extreme aspects.
"Just shut it," Khan sighed, "Or I'll tell Anita about your kinks."
"You can't possibly know them all," George proudly stated before a memory popped into his mind and made him smile. "Do you remember Kelly? She really gave you a hard time."
"She somehow survived," Khan commented. "I guess Nitis' crisis was an eye-opener for her."
"Imagine meeting her now," George chuckled. "It would be fun to slam your rank in her face."
"I wish I could do that to Monica's mother," Khan cursed, but his phone rang, and drawing it showed an annoying name. "I guess her ears were burning."
"Have fun with that," George laughed, leaning toward Khan to steal the bottle only to find out that all the booze had disappeared.
"Anastasia!" Khan exclaimed, answering the call and showing his tongue to a disappointed George. "Not even a day has passed since our last call. Did you miss me already?"
"Captain, I never authorized you to drop your formalities," Madam Solodrey scolded. "It's uncomfortable to see such friendliness from you."
"As you wish, ma'am," Khan announced. "I'll stick to mother-in-law."
"I hope for your own good that no one else is hearing this call," Madam Solodrey threatened, and George showed his thumbs at those words before leaving the stalls.
"I would never betray your trust, ma'am," Khan lied before changing the topic. "Is there a specific reason behind this call?"
"I wouldn't waste time calling you otherwise," Madam Solodrey revealed. "I wanted to inform you that the Solodrey family reached an agreement. We won't accept any suitor or allow any ploy for now."
Khan didn't expect to receive similar news so soon. Merely a day had passed from his meeting with the representatives, but the Solodrey family had already taken a stand.
Moreover, that stand didn't only involve a few factions. It seemed that the entirety of the Solodrey family was on the same page now, even if for different reasons.
"I appreciate that," Khan honestly exclaimed. "Thank you, Madam Solodrey."
"So, you know what respect and manners are," Madam Solodrey uttered.
"You won't regret it, ma'am," Khan promised. "I'll make your daughter happy."
"Happiness is-," Madam Solodrey began to say.
"A luxury to people in your position," Khan interrupted. "Still, that's my main goal. If becoming worthy of the Solodrey name is the way to do it, I shall."
Madam Solodrey fell silent. She was the most understanding of Monica's parents, and a tinge of proper parenthood still existed inside her. She wouldn't hold back from cheering for the couple if Khan could become worthy while making Monica happy.
"Captain," Madam Solodrey called, carefully choosing her words, "Earning our name is no easy feat. However, were you to succeed, you would become privy to some secrets otherwise unattainable inside the Global Army. I'm sure I don't have to say anything else."
"You don't, ma'am," Khan perfectly understood what Madam Solodrey meant. "Though these incentives are unnecessary. I'm serious about your daughter."
"I would have had your head on a plate if I doubted that," Madam Solodrey sighed. "Sadly, you took your stubbornness from your mother. I guess we'll see whether that's a good thing or not."
Curiosity invaded Khan, but he held it back. He knew Madam Solodrey had no intention of answering his questions. She was just throwing baits to deepen Khan's reliance on the Solodrey family.
"Have a good day, Captain Khan," Madam Solodrey continued. "I expect tonight's date to go well, and my husband is also waiting for your next payment. Don't falter, and remember that we are always watching."
Madam Solodrey closed the call before Khan could voice any salute. Watching the empty screen, Khan could almost feel the political strings latching onto his limbs and hindering his movements. Protection and control went hand in hand in that world, and the pressure intensified as Khan dived deeper into it.
A message from the Headmistress arrived, confirming that she had increased the security in many districts. Khan and Monica would go out with Lucy and Mark that night, making those measures necessary. The event could be a friendly meeting, but Khan knew Madam Solodrey wanted him to push his political connections forward.
"That's what you get for chasing princesses," George announced. He had returned near the stalls, and one look at Khan's expression told him everything he needed to know.
"Do you think nobility is hereditary?" Khan wondered. "Maybe I'm attracted to political influence."
"You just love problems," George snorted, "Especially when they have a nice… face."
Khan sighed. He couldn't go against his nature, and the problems with Monica had positive sides. Without her, Khan would have taken far longer to leave his mark on the political world, let alone receive his current education.
"I admit there is something else," George continued. "Probably, you only fall for women who can stand proudly at your side."
"I'm a nobody from the Slums," Khan dismissed that vague compliment. "Anyone can stand at my side."
"Then," George voiced, "How is it that wherever you go, people start following you?"
"Not everywhere," Khan shook his head, reopening Monica's notes to resume studying.
"My father once tried to go all philosophical on me," George revealed. "He said that a king needs a queen, but very few women can be queens."
"He was just trying to make you stop fooling around," Khan pointed out.
"Maybe," George spread his arms and turned, "But Liiza was almost royalty, and Monica is no different. That makes it two out of two."
