Insults

"Technology and mana" didn't get any more interesting the next morning. Khan was behind compared to his peers when it came to types of machinery, and everything seemed to favor mana on its own anyway.

Instead, "xenolinguistics" continued to stir Khan's interest. He kept guessing right whenever Professor Thogett used the Nak's language, which forced him to disregard the idea that the event was a simple coincidence.

Two lessons weren't enough to make Khan sure about anything, but his doubts inevitably started to transform into reasonable hypotheses. After all, he seemed able to understand the Nak's language even without paying attention to the few words that Professor Thogett used as examples.

The peculiar event didn't let Khan ignore his priorities, especially since he couldn't get clear answers yet. He had to notify Professor Norwell about his attunement with mana and martial art, but he didn't forget to spend time with Martha during the usual break.

"Did you really expect to learn a martial art in weeks?" Martha laughed when Khan told her about his hesitation.

"I'm a simple man," Khan sighed. "I just want superpowers."

"You still have to work hard for them," Martha covered her mouth to suppress her laugh. "Even Luke will have to sweat to learn a few moves."

"That would be a fun scene," Khan joked. "Luke sweating. What a sight!"

Martha laughed again, but the duo eventually fell silent. They had to start their training to make the best out of the time before Professor Norwell's lesson, but they both desired to talk a bit more.

"You shouldn't worry about the wealthy kids," Martha eventually said before Khan was about to close his eyes. "You can definitely keep up with them even if you don't have Credits to purchase synthetic mana. They can't buy determination and experience."

"I hope you are right," Khan revealed an honest smile. "I wish to reach a decent level before the first missions. I might stand out and gain something if I'm stronger than them by then."

"I see you have a plan," Martha commented before a tinge of sadness appeared in her eyes.

Obtaining that level of expertise in less than a semester would be impossible unless Khan spent most of his time training. That would leave them barely any time together. They even had to limit their conversations during the breaks to focus on their mediations.

"Do you miss me already?" Khan winked toward Martha when he noticed her reaction, and the latter promptly wore an annoyed expression.

"Stop wasting time and meditate already!" Martha snorted. "We are here to become proper soldiers, not chitchatting."

"Aye aye, ma'am," Khan chuckled before closing his eyes and moving his focus on the energy flowing out of his nape.

Martha stared at his earnest expression for a few seconds. She inspected the occasional tremors that ran through Khan's face whenever his body tried to oppose the expansion of the mana. He had already learnt how to continue to meditate when the pain wasn't too intense.

Martha heaved a faint sigh before closing her eyes. She decided to dive into a meditative state instead of sorting the thoughts that filled her mind. Her education and financial situation didn't give her the time to handle that stuff yet.

Khan exited the meditative state a few times before the alarm rang and put an end to his training. Martha also woke up, and the duo went toward the basement even if the lesson would take thirty more minutes to start.

The basement held the class of recruits who had scored B in the initial test. Most of them were already exhausted since the lesson was almost over. Khan even spotted Samuel in the corner of the area.

Professor Norwell was walking among the recruits. She shook her head whenever she saw a boy or a girl panting on the floor, and she reacted in the same way at the sight of the red lights on various menus.

Khan raised his hand to attract the Professor's attention, but some of the exhausted recruits also noticed his gesture. Samuel's friends were busy sparring with their partners, but they didn't miss that event either.

Khan and Martha were members of the special class, and their friendship with Luke made them even more famous inside the training camp. Moreover, the other recruits often saw them meditating together in parks or walking at night through the streets, so rumors had inevitably spread.

"You can make appointments through your phone if you want to see me," Professor Norwell whispered after she neared Khan and Martha. "I believe every matter can wait until Sunday."

"My attunement with mana has reached twenty percent," Khan immediately revealed to calm down the Professor. "I've also already obtained a martial art."

Professor Norwell remained speechless for a second. She was aware of Khan's background, so she immediately doubted that statement. However, Martha nodded as soon as the soldier's gaze fell on her.

"Continue sparring!" Professor Norwell shouted after turning back toward the class and gesturing to the duo to go in the corridor.

Then, Professor Norwell reached Khan and Martha in the corridor to explain her recent actions. "Your feat is quite amazing. Did you consider all your options? I can put you in a special program of the army and give you access to good martial arts."

"How good are we talking about?" Khan asked while feigning interest in the offer.

"Are you aware of the classification of martial arts?" Professor Norwell asked before continuing when she saw Khan nodding. "The Global Army will surely treasure your talent. I can probably obtain a medium-level martial art up to sixty points."

Khan faked slight surprise before lowering his head to pretend to think about the matter. He had already refused that offer in his mind, but he didn't want to risk ruining his relationship with the Global Army.

"Do you mind if I continue like this for a while until I learn more about Ylaco?" Khan asked while wearing an honest expression. "I don't want to lock myself on a single path already. I want to keep my options open for a little more."

"That's completely understandable," Professor Norwell announced while revealing a smile. "My offer will stand as long as your talent keeps you above the others. Even matching the growth of your peers will be enough."

Khan expressed his thanks while Martha remained silent and studied that interaction. She knew that Professor Norwell would probably call the medical bay to confirm Khan's attunement, but the soldier still appeared fooled by his honest behavior.

"You are really great at pretending," Martha commented when she escorted Khan outside of the main building.

Khan didn't need to attend Professor Norwell's lessons anymore, so he could go directly to the prisons of the camp and continue his training with Lieutenant Dyester. Yet, the class would still take ten minutes to start, and he didn't mind spending that time with Martha.

"You have already told me that," Khan laughed before teasing the girl. "Are you jealous that my charm has managed to fool Professor Norwell?"

"She is a beautiful woman," Martha commented, "But you need to get far stronger to get a shot at her."

"I guess you aren't in the mood for jokes," Khan sighed.

"You'll know the reason behind that in a second," Martha closed her eyes before wearing a broad smile and looking in the distance.

Khan suddenly noticed that three girls at the end of the street had started to wave their hands toward Martha. Their faces expressed pure joy, but Khan could sense the pretense from his current position.

"You are always so on time, Martha!" One of the girls exclaimed.

"She works harder than the entire special class," Another girl said. "We should praise her for that."

"I have already told you that you don't have to worry about synthetic mana," The third girl shouted. "My mother will take care of all my friends. It's a tradition of the Blackdell family!"

"Female Luke incoming," Martha whispered before raising her voice and greeting the girls with a tone that Khan had never heard.

"Why don't you introduce us to your friend?" The first girl asked. "He is the boy from the Slums, right?"

Martha shot a meaningful glance toward Khan before resuming her pretense. "Sisters, he is Khan."

"It must have been hard to make the transition from that dirty place," The first girl announced. "Even Martha had started to gain your bad habits before meeting us. I'm Beth Merwood anyway."

"It's not his fault," The second girl complained. "He has probably survived eating cockroaches. It's a miracle that he knows how to take a shower. It's nice to meet you. I'm Cora Pensloo."

"The background doesn't justify someone's behavior," The last girl snorted. "He is in the training camp now. He should behave like a recruit. I'm Alison Blackdell."

The three girls had spewed insults before announcing their names and stretching their right hands forward. Martha asked Khan for forgiveness with her eyes. A tinge of shame also appeared on her expression, but she had to endure that behavior due to political reasons.

Khan looked at the three hands stretched toward him. The girls clearly wanted something from him, but he had no idea what to do. Still, his knowledge about characters made him understand the three girls would never respect him.

'I might as well make things easy for Martha,' Khan sighed in his mind. 'Nothing like a common enemy to improve a friendship.'

"Is that makeup?" Khan asked while pointing at the girls' faces. "I've never seen it on such young girls. Only the hookers wore it in the Slums, and you never wanted to know what they hid with it. I hope it's not the same for you."

The three girls opened their mouths, and anger filled their eyes, but Khan walked past them while they were busy going through his words. A few screams resounded from behind him at some point, but he was quite far away by then.