Chapter 864: Lesson

Chapter 864: Lesson



The many revelations made one thing clear. Abraham and Lieutenant Dyester knew nothing about Khan. Until now, he had lived a secret life, fighting a war only he was aware of.

The two men did their best to keep up with the various explanations, but time wasn't exactly on their side. The topic had so many nuances it would take weeks to explore them all, and the tournament's third day was already looming. Lieutenant Dyester and Abraham had to get their priorities straight to achieve anything that night.

The scarlet eyes were an unreachable mystery, and Khan's many secret stories could wait. The two men wanted to start working on something they could solve quickly, and the scientist between them instinctively followed his education.

"My Prince," Abraham called. "Forgive my insolence, but might I conduct tests on you? I promise they won't be invasive. I simply hope to discover something from studying your body."

"It's pointless," Khan replied, closing his eyes and lightly bumping the back of his head into the wall. "The Thilku already studied me, and Raymond even acquired that information. He must have sold it to others, so many parties should be aware of what's going on with my body."

Khan's tales couldn't surprise the two men anymore. Learning that the Thilku Empire had already performed tests on Khan would usually be shocking news, but Abraham and Lieutenant Dyester barely reacted to it after everything they had heard.

Instead, the two men focused on the name Khan mentioned, and Lieutenant Dyester questioned him about it. "Raymond?"

"Raymond Cobsend," Khan said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but the men's confusion reminded him that they needed additional explanations. "He's... It's a long story."

Khan sighed, emptying what was left of his booze. He glanced at the container before throwing it toward the opposite wall. Still, his arm rose before the crash could happen, and the bottle exploded mid-air.

Glass shards flew everywhere, but nothing reached the trio. Khan also lost interest in the event, promptly reaching for another bottle. He felt mentally drained, and venting with his friends wasn't helping.

Lieutenant Dyester and Abraham were at a loss of what to do or say, but that probably was the point. They couldn't provide solutions to Khan's seemingly endless problems. They could only keep him company during that rough patch.

Silent moments passed. The three men drank while many thoughts filled their minds. Their pondering covered different topics, but the result never changed. The trio needed time for various reasons, and the booze helped kill it.

Khan had his grief and the recent headaches to handle. Abraham summoned his scientific knowledge to review the recent story while Lieutenant Dyester reevaluated Khan, trying to obtain a complete picture of his life.

Bottles went by, but Khan's stash endured the men's thirst. The silence also lasted for a while, and no one felt like interrupting it since they couldn't add anything noteworthy to the issue. Nevertheless, someone else took care of that.

Khan was the first to notice the new wave of synthetic mana outside the cave. His faint reaction warned Lieutenant Dyester and Abraham, who peeked into the darkness to study what was happening.

Heavy steps soon resounded throughout the cave. Someone was stomping their feet on the ground while crossing the darkness, and the culprit's identity eventually became clear. Monica stormed inside, ignoring Lieutenant Dyester and Abraham and heading directly for an empty spot at Khan's side.

"That bad, huh," Khan commented, welcoming Monica on his shoulder. She trapped his fingers into her grasp, using her free hand to request the half-full bottle Khan wielded.

Khan couldn't help but chuckle while handing the booze. Monica's mood was awful, but her mouth remained shut. Her problems were nothing compared to Khan's, and she didn't want to add her whining to them.

"Tell me," Khan said, watching his fiancée doing her best to empty the bottle.

"No," Monica refused, refocusing on the bottle.

"Come on," Khan insisted, laying his head on Monica's. "Distract me."

Monica kept the bottle titled but stopped drinking. Eventually, she lowered it, revealing an annoyed expression. She truly didn't want to snap, but Khan himself had requested it.

Monica showed a sweet but sad smile. She lifted her hand, caressing the head on her shoulder. In response, Khan hugged Monica's torso tightly, keeping her as close as possible. "I'm here," Monica whispered, tilting her head to kiss Khan's cheek. "Why don't you try to

sleep a bit?"

Khan listened to the suggestion, closing his eyes and immersing himself in Monica's presence. She kept caressing him, aiding the process, but his mind opposed the idea.

Thoughts about the imminent tasks invaded Khan's brain, occasionally replaced by a reminder of Bret's death. He wouldn't attain any peace that day, so he reopened his eyes, planning to resume his drinking spree.

"What did Amber say?" Khan asked, reaching for another bottle while Monica leaned

alongside him.

"Amber?" Monica repeated. "Oh, Miss Teldom. She only greeted me when I was done talking

with Cora."

"Did you clear the air with her?" Khan questioned, investigating the point Monica had missed during her complaints.

"Yes, sort of," Monica replied. "We didn't become friends or anything, but I can tell she only wants to check that you are fine."

"I'll meet her tomorrow night," Khan declared, "With Amber. We'll have a dinner with the descendants the day after tomorrow."

"Will you sleep between any of these events?" Monica asked, knowing the answer.

"I don't know if I can," Khan admitted, "Or if I prefer the nightmares to this." Monica felt powerless. She glanced at the still-silent Lieutenant Dyester and Abraham before

refocusing on Khan. Khan would have sent them away if he decided to engage in the Niqols' ways with her. The fact that he didn't meant that part of him wanted to experience those sad

feelings.

"Are you punishing yourself?" Monica wondered.

"I should feel this pain," Khan explained. "He died alone, without seeing his grandchildr-"

Khan couldn't finish his line since a fiery sphere flew in his direction. The spell exploded mid- air, but its flames quickly dispersed, hinting at its limited power. A palm also became visible in its detonation spot, showing that Khan had blocked it before it could come near Monica or

him.

"Well," Lieutenant Dyester announced, scarlet flames still flickering on his lifted fingers. "Now I'm livid."

"What do you think you are doing?" Khan questioned, his aura filling the cave with a chilling

pressure.

"Since it's clear your idiocy is reaching new levels," Lieutenant Dyester exclaimed, slowly standing up, "Your Master thought to impart you with another lesson."