Chaos' Heir

"I swear," Khan promised. "It isn't my fault this time."

"And yet it always happens to you," Monica commented.

"I'm completely innocent," Khan swore.

"On this," Monica said, "You never are."

The couple was standing on the mountain where Khan had spent the night. Morning had arrived in the quadrant, filling the air with a cold breeze. Faint light also shone on the area, highlighting many details. However, the cave was nowhere to be found.

Khan didn't change location during the night. Instead, the cave did, or rather, something else had taken its place. That damp cavity had turned into a vast crater that still crackled from time to time.

The explosion had been big enough to alert Monica and make her jump on a ship. Yet, a glance at her destination told her everything she needed to know, which she decided to handle personally.

"We should consider ourselves lucky you didn't try to create weapons inside the city," Monica sighed.

"I was creating defensive gear," Khan revealed.

Monica couldn't help but look at Khan, her eyes blank. She didn't know which emotion to wear. Helplessness tried to win that internal contest but couldn't appear since Monica gave up on understanding her fiancé's experiments.

"Do you know how bad it can look?" Monica questioned, her mind reviewing her political education as she inspected the crater.

"I know," Khan confirmed.

Khan and his allies worked day and night to appear reliable. The cities, quadrants, and the planet as a whole had to feel safe. External parties wouldn't invest money and equipment otherwise.

The explosion had been minor and in an isolated area, but it had happened nonetheless. Khan had chosen a relatively distant spot on purpose, but Monica had noticed the event, so it was safe to assume others also did.

The Scalqa wouldn't spread gossip, but the city had many human assets. More were also inbound, and the same went for soldiers from the Thilku Empire. As that trend continued, leaks would become more likely, and many couldn't wait to purchase information about Khan and Baoway.

"If someone asks," Khan announced, "Say that I was testing spells. This explosion was no random event."

"I will," Monica nodded. "Still, dear, I'll use my countermeasures if this happens again."

Monica's words would sound like a threat to an external party, but the couple knew what she implied. Her countermeasures were quite enjoyable for Khan, but he couldn't indulge in them right now.

"I won't get anything done if you sleep on me during my experiments," Khan said.

"Then," Monica replied, "Stop blowing things up."

"I'm innocent," Khan declared.

Khan was obviously to blame for the explosion, but his words carried some truth. The night had proceeded smoothly until the experiments demanded more grit. He had been on the right path, but something was missing.

Creating something similar to the cursed knife required more than strong, suitable feelings, mana, and mental images. Khan had to inject actual life into an item or substance but didn't have anything else to offer. However, his skill set had a matching ability, from which he didn't hesitate to take inspiration.

The cloud spell embodied the chaos element's wild will, and the line between Khan and his mana had become increasingly blurred throughout the years. That ability expressed his urges while acting independently, making it the closest thing to what he aimed to create.

Nevertheless, Khan didn't create the cloud spell. The Tors did that while attempting to highlight the chaos element's core nature. Khan could only walk backward while trying to apply similar effects to his experiments, and a single mistake had been enough to level the cave. That was Khan's fault, but the will he summoned was the technical culprit.

"It will happen again," Khan admitted. "It's dangerous, but I'm on the right path."

Of course, Monica didn't care about technicalities. She was only worried about Khan's safety and authority, especially since she knew how fragile they were. Khan understood that, so he stopped playing around.

"It will happen again," Khan admitted. "It's dangerous, but I'm on the right path."

Khan's tone didn't change, but Monica noticed the difference anyway, and a curse resounded in her mind. She could contain the risks as long as Khan was playing around, but his words told her how serious he was about the matter. Nothing could stop him at that point.

"Is it for me?" Monica asked. She always hated it when Khan put himself in danger for her sake. Still, she preferred guilt over ignorance.

"Eventually," Khan uttered. "Prince Catlee and Prince Duter commissioned items, but the experience will help with you. All of you."

Monica was Khan's priority, but he also had close allies to consider. That last part was even in constant expansion during Baoway's colonization. Soon, Khan's responsibilities would go far beyond the Scalqa, involving entire wealthy families in his protective web.

Monica could almost read Khan's mind. She didn't want him to add more pressure on himself, but that was the nature of leadership. Things would only get worse, but a heartwarming silver lining existed. Khan was doing most of that for her and his friends.

Something warm joined the symphony, making Khan glance at Monica. She took his hand and used her free one to pull his arm. Khan stepped toward her, getting close enough to let her lean on him. Monica said nothing as she rested her head on his shoulder and stared at the crater.

Khan understood Monica's intentions without requiring questions, so he also looked at the crater, falling silent to enjoy that private moment. Duties would soon separate the couple for many hours, so sharing a few peaceful minutes felt nice.

"Was this one the one?" Monica eventually whispered.

"We slept in more than one cave," Khan reminded.

"Was this one of them?" Monica changed the question.

"Yes," Khan confirmed, earning himself a jab to his side.

"Don't destroy our love nests," Monica scolded.

"I'll soon need a list to remember all of them," Khan joked, chuckling when another jab landed on his side.

"Don't forget them, either," Monica reprimanded.

"You were the one who couldn't recognize our cave," Khan pointed out.

"I can forget," Monica pouted. "You can't. Besides, I always cling to you until you drop me down."

"Is this my fault now?" Khan asked.

"Always," Monica nodded, rubbing her head on Khan's shoulder. "Khan, wasn't this cave quite big?"

"You know how amazing your fiancé is," Khan stated, attempting to justify how a big cave had turned into a vast crater. Monica chuckled but still delivered another jab.

"Is that new?" Khan asked, lowering his eyes to inspect Monica's clothes. He didn't recognize her skirt.

"The Princess brought some clothes," Monica explained. "We traded a few pieces."

"Someone had fun yesterday," Khan teased.

"I was working," Monica declared, "Working for both of us."

"I can definitely see the effort," Khan uttered. "So, when do I get to enjoy it?"

"Later, dear," Monica giggled, "If you aren't too busy blowing stuff out."

"I probably will," Khan admitted. "I need to find a new location. This is too close to the city."

"Don't ruin the river," Monica warned.

"I'm not touching the river," Khan reassured. "I just need somewhere close enough to have a connection to the network."

"It won't take long until the entire planet is covered," Monica explained. "Well, you'll have to store all the equipment you made for the Scalqa to get perfect performance."

"I'll rip off some nobles for connection enhancers," Khan said. "They all want to have lunch with me anyway. The topic will pop out."

Monica's head snapped up, shooting a glare at Khan. She instantly grew livid and anxious, and her grip on Khan's hand tightened as her brain summoned her genuine scolding tone.

"When were you planning on telling me that?!" Monica snapped. "I have to choose a dress. Wait! Princess Montares will probably want us to dress up together."

"Take Felicia, too," Khan added. "You girls should bond."

"Lunch," Monica cursed, her eyes darting left and right. "I only have half a day to prepare."

"Yeah," Khan sighed. "You'll never make it in time."

Monica promptly jabbed Khan's side again, but he picked her up afterward, princess-carrying her while rising into the sky. She had gotten so used to the process she continued to glare at him while securing her position. Nevertheless, Monica soon forgot about her anger and enjoyed the flight.

The political lunch happened, and more meetings followed. Khan established new deals with the nobles, deepening his familiarity with the various representatives. Those chats only had fake friendliness, but that was the best Khan could achieve in the current situation.

The time spent with Monica shrunk since the nobles often requested her presence. The couple's private moments grew scarce, but both Khan and Monica couldn't do much about it. The representatives' presence was a crucial period for the planet, demanding their full attention.

However, the nobles eventually departed, and the expansion resumed. It took a while and a lot of effort from a management standpoint, but all the quadrants ultimately reached their intended shape. The allied descendants established a stable foothold on the planet, fully colonizing it as they developed their agreed-upon assets.

Baoway witnessed some well-deserved stability afterward, and Khan let it solidify for a while before moving to the next goal. He could finally depart without worrying about seeing his domain fall apart, so he contacted Rebecca. She had promised him the Nak, and he couldn't wait to lay his eyes on them.