Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1382: Ba-ba

Khan obviously didn’t forget to mention the most important thing before engaging in the banquet and the war plans. Zedekiel was a classified location that restricted any information leaks, but Khan and Liiza needed to contact their forces to check on their daughter.

In the past, that request wouldn’t have gone past Lord Rsi, or even Lord Exr, let alone the Royal Guards or the Emperor himself.

However, the Emperor didn’t even try to oppose the matter. The time for secrecy and classified locations was over, and Khan’s relationship with the Thilku Empire couldn’t be more solid, allowing for a video call in the middle of the banquet.

The star map coming out of the table vanished, replaced by a red, rectangular holographic screen that featured a series of intricate, changing runes within.

Khan read the symbols and stopped eating, his body rising on its own while his legs were still crossed, making him leap across the table to reach for his wife.

Liiza was squeezed between Lord Mighty and Lord Blind Sword. The latter wasn’t exactly a problem, but the former was too big for his own good, leaving no space for Khan to sit.

That was hardly a problem for the couple. Liiza slid forward, straightening her legs so that Khan could sit and hug her from behind, peeking past her shoulder so that both could appear in the holographic screen’s center.

The red symbols on the holographic screen brightened and darkened a few times before vanishing altogether, replaced by a multicolored scenery that retained some hints of reddishness. The images depicted a simple office, as well as one of Khan’s leading scientists.

Khan had shared all the necessary security codes to overcome Coravis’ safety measures before Zedekiel’s tech tried to contact the planet. So, the call arrived directly to Garret, who almost broke his stern character when he saw Khan and Liiza.

"My Prince!" Garret exclaimed in an uncharacteristically louder voice before restoring his usual sternness. "My Princess. I’m happy to see that you are safe and sound."

Khan’s forces had lost communication with the married couple ever since the departure from the last outpost, which had happened two weeks ago. That wasn’t a worrisome period, but the mission Khan and Liiza had to complete made it far beyond that.

Still, Khan and Liiza were clearly fine and inside the regulated universe. Garret couldn’t pinpoint the call’s location due to Zedekiel’s safety measures, but knew it came from inside the Thilku Empire’s domain.

That awareness wasn’t only due to the communication channel’s specifics. It was simply hard to miss the huge figures at the couple’s sides, especially since they multiplied.

Lord Blind Sword turned his right ear toward the screen, while Lord Mighty leaned down to peek at the holographic screen from above Khan’s head.

Lord Envoy also appeared, calmly hovering behind the couple while retaining his sitting stance, and Lord Enforcer joined him, kneeling at his side to show his face on the holographic screen.

The scene had to be quite jarring from Garret’s perspective. The Royal Guards didn’t wear capes or crowns, so the scientist couldn’t understand how classified that location was, nor how much information could be shared during the call.

Luckily for Garret, he could only see one side of the table. The Emperor could still watch the scene on the screen, but no scanners pointed at him, making his still, motionless interest invisible, as well as his golden crown.

Khan wasn’t exactly pleased by the Royal Guards’ intrusive curiosity, but couldn’t blame them, either. After all, their job was to protect the Emperor all the time, and Zedekiel probably made that task quite boring. They couldn’t help themselves now that something entertaining had appeared.

"We just got back," Khan announced, taking the reins of that conversation to reassure Garret. "Everything went well, but there’s much I need to update everyone about."

That didn’t even come close to the whole truth. Khan had discovered so much in the Nak’s home world, and even more had happened. He would need hours-long briefings to get his scientists up to speed, and that without mentioning his plans about how he wanted to finalize his attunement with mana.

Still, politics would have to wait a bit longer. Khan and Liiza only cared about one thing now, and he didn’t hesitate to request it.

"How’s Yeza?" Khan promptly continued. "How’s everyone in Coravis?"

The worry couldn’t have been more justified. The universe didn’t expand in a straight line, but Coravis remained the closest location to the Nak’s home world. Despite Khan teleporting away to mislead the Scarlet Eyes, there was a chance they could be headed for that planet.

"Everything is ..." Garret said, hesitating for a second to clear his throat. "Well. Are there problems, My Prince?"

"Did the outposts’ scanners capture anything?" Khan asked while the figure between his legs grew colder.

"Why the hesitation, Mister Bizelli?" Liiza questioned, unleashing her chilling tone, making the four Royal Guards turn toward her. "Did something happen to our daughter?"

"The outposts’ scanners didn’t pick up anything strange, My Prince," Garret replied, dealing with the easier question first. "There was a massive surge of energy an hour ago, but I’m assuming that was you."

Garret was correct, but Khan couldn’t help but worry since the scientist had yet to clarify Yeza’s status, making his initial reply unsatisfactory.

"As for the young Princess," Garret continued, almost sensing Liiza’s growingly chilling gaze despite being several quadrants of the universe apart. "It’s probably better if you see for yourselves."

The scenery on the holographic screen changed before the married couple could say anything. Garret remained on the call, but different voices resounded under the gazebo, and both Liiza and Khan recognized them.

"Come on, Little Yeza," Princess Rebecca’s voice came out of the screen before its images could finish stabilizing. "This is no Princess behavior."

"She must be free to explore her abilities," Zalpa’s hoarse voice resounded under the gazebo. "Just follow under her in case she falls."

"Who exactly might fall?" Khan instantly questioned, his worry somehow managing not to destabilize the holographic screen, which finally showed the different scenery.

The surface of one of Coravis’s sea platforms appeared on the screen, together with various consoles, soldiers, and Princess Rebecca and Zalpa’s frozen figures.

Garret had redirected the call to one of such consoles. Still, neither Khan nor Liiza had the chance to ask additional questions since a small dark-blue figure floated down from above the crowd, gently landing on the camera before uttering two excited sounds. "Ba-ba!"