n

n

nThe morning lessons changed again in the third week. A new professor called Ava Holmer took care of teaching

"basics of the society

" and

"politics

". Khan ended up hating those subjects, but he desperately needed to learn them.

nAva Holmer was an old woman with long grey hair combed in a large bun and cateye-shaped glasses. Her uniform featured a single star on both shoulders, and her demeanor was quite stiff.

nKhan found the lessons incredibly boring, especially since they didn't involve the fantastic qualities of the mana. The only interesting details in those classes concerned the various relationships between humankind and the known alien species.

nIt turned out that the Global Army had mainly established peaceful alliances with four of the intelligent alien species found throughout the universe.

nObtaining those alliances had required a few battles or compromises during the first meetings, but everything had reached a stable situation now. The last political crisis had been on Istrone when a faction of the Kred had decided to rebel.

n

"The Kred are a peaceful alien species,

" Professor Holmer explained,

"But they also worship mana. The radical groups on Istrone believed that humans were tainting that energy with their technology. That eventually led to a rebellion.

"

n

"My professor in Ylaco told me that the Kred struggle to control mana,

" Luke added while the lesson continued.

"Their bodies are better than ours, but we can surpass them once our attunement reaches high percentages.

"

nKhan never stopped absorbing information about the world. He didn't care that Professor Holmer's teaching style could match Professor Conche's dullness. His attention never faltered, and he promptly lowered his headphones whenever one of his friends added pieces of knowledge to the lessons.

n

"It's a pity that Professor Holmer didn't say anything about the other cities on Earth,

" Khan commented once the group hit the canteen.

"I hope she teaches something about the social structure of the world.

"

n

"Why would you even wait for a professor to teach you that?

" Bruce laughed at those words.

"You can learn that from your phone. The network of the Global Army can teach you a lot if you know how to look.

"

n

"The professors will probably skip what they deem as common knowledge,

" Luke explained.

"They only go through those topics when they have classified information to add.

"

nKhan felt a bit lost. His phone contained some answers to his doubts, but he had never thought to use it.

n

"I'll teach you how to use the network later,

" Martha eventually sighed.

nKhan revealed a grateful expression when he turned toward Martha, and the other boys and girls on the table couldn't help but stare at that interaction.

n

"It's quite bold of you to be with him,

" April Rotston commented.

"My mother would kill me if I were to date a boy from the Slums.

"

nMartha and Khan shot a surprised glance toward the girl. They didn't think the rumors already saw them as a proper couple.

n

"Khan will definitely go far,

" Bruce added.

"He will easily reach high ranks in the Global Army. He is the first in the entire training camp to reach twenty percent of attunement with mana, and he always works hard. Even Professor Norwell wants to rope him into special training programs.

"

n

"The soldiers with poor backgrounds statistically go further in the army,

" Luke continued.

"Many known heroes of the Global Army have started with little more than a few Credits.

"

nLuke and Bruce's approach to Khan's background was directly opposite to Martha's new friends. The two boys saw Khan's potential as a valuable asset in future platoons. Instead, the three girls only considered his worth as a spouse.

n

"Getting my attunement to twenty percent was only luck,

" Khan tried to tone down those praises.

n

"Don't sell yourself short,

" Luke contradicted him.

"I know you'll go far. Who knows? You might even enter the personal guard of the noble families.

"

n

"You are exaggerating now,

" Bruce laughed.

"He must really become a hero to get there.

"

n

"You'll understand later,

" Martha whispered, and Khan limited himself to nod.

nMartha didn't bother to address the rumors. She knew that her words wouldn't change her friends' opinion, so she limited herself to finish her meal and leave with Khan.

nKhan could go to the prisons of the camp right away since Professor Norwell had exempted him from her lessons. However, he had to take the training program for his element that day, which would inevitably delay his meeting with Lieutenant Dyester.

nProfessor Norwell wouldn't arrive in the camp's main building right after lunch, so Khan had some time to kill with Martha. The girl took the chance to walk him through the menus of the phone, and Khan happily discovered that the network of the Global Army was fairly easy to use.

n'A large group made of ten representatives from the noble families and one hundred diplomats from the other families govern Earth,' Khan read on his phone. 'The ten noble representatives rarely change due to their privileged position, while the others can vary depending on the political influence of each minor family.'

nThe explanation on the network was short and lacked many details, but Khan could gain a general idea of how the Global Army administered Earth.

nMartha explained how the number of spots for each minor family depended on the achievements of their members. They changed every year, and the ten noble representatives handled that decision.

n

"The noble families have a lot of influence,

" Martha revealed.

"Building a connection with one of them is the dream of every soldier. They basically have unlimited power on Earth, so even creating a family from scratch wouldn't be a problem once you gain their favor.

"

n

"That seems complicated,

" Khan sighed.

"I only want to explore the universe. I hope I don't need to be politically active for that.

"

n

"Humankind isn't at war anymore,

" Martha laughed.

"Every soldier has political interests. Their priority is to settle and build a decent foundation for their children.

"

n

"Do you have the same ideas?

" Khan asked when he heard Martha's superficial tone.

n

"I need to elevate my family's status and bring it out of poverty,

" Martha explained.

"I'm not willing to resort to political marriages to do that, so I need to serve in dangerous planets and gain merits.

"

n

"How did humanity stop feeling curious about the universe?

" Khan asked while looking at a random spot in the distance.

n

"Humanity has always evolved through wars,

" Martha scoffed.

"Maybe we'll go back to who we were during the First Impact if you find a new enemy.

"

nThat topic didn't lead anywhere, and the duo eventually decided to meditate while Khan waited for Professor Norwell's arrival.

nThe alarm rang and awakened the two, but Martha limited herself to exchange a few words before going back to her meditation. She didn't need to see Professor Norwell, and Khan would head for the prisons of the camp afterward anyway.

nKhan reached the basement of the main building in an instant. Excitement had started to build inside him as he approached the meeting with Professor Norwell. She would finally grant him access to magic, and he felt restless about it.

n

"You are early,

" Professor Norwell said when she noticed Khan standing in front of the basement.

n

"I'm excited,

" Khan honestly revealed.

n

"I would tone down that feeling,

" Professor Norwell suggested while taking out a small casket from her bag.

"This is only an initial training program. It will teach you the basics of your element and one easy spell, but nothing more.

"

nKhan's excitement disregarded those words. It continued to fill his mind and forced his eyes to remain glued on the casket.

n

"You'll understand soon,

" Professor Norwell announced.

"I suspect that Lieutenant Dyester has already warned you about your element.

"

nKhan lowered his head to mask his confusion, but he quickly wore a faint smile that fooled the Professor. Lieutenant Dyester didn't mention anything specific about the chaos element. Khan had learnt about some of the hindrances through Martha.

n

"How did you learn about Lieutenant Dyester and me?

" Khan asked while Professor Norwell handed him the casket.

n

"The Global Army pays a great deal of attention to potential talents,

" Professor Norwell revealed before winking at him.

"And it's hard to hide something inside the training camp. I've also heard the rumors about the Weesso girl and you. Nice catch, kid.

"

nProfessor Norwell didn't linger in the corridor any longer and entered the basement. The metal door of the room closed and began to reflect Khan's speechless figure.

n'Why does everyone think that we are in a relationship?' Khan wondered. 'I guess they have too much time to kill. I wouldn't even know how to put a girlfriend into my current schedule.'

nKhan soon put those thoughts in the back of his mind before running toward the prisons of the camp. The trapdoor opened as soon as he stepped on the familiar lawn, and Lieutenant Dyester greeted him with the usual fuming cigarette in his mouth.

n

"You are late today,

" Lieutenant Dyester snorted before moving his eyes on the casket in Khan's grasp.

"Did you take a look at the mage training yet?

"

nKhan shook his head, and Lieutenant Dyester promptly pointed at a spot on the table. Khan placed the casket there and unlocked it before lifting its lid.

nA dark red fabric that featured purple shades covered the insides of the casket, and a tiny disk occupied its center. Khan glanced at Lieutenant Dyester before picking the item when the soldier nodded, and a small knife soon appeared on his shoulder.

nKhan picked the knife and bound the disk before placing it on his phone. The device absorbed the item and added a new magic device to the specific menu.

n'Chaos element for beginners,' Khan read on the phone before pressing the icon.

nHolograms quickly came out of the phone, but Khan immediately noticed that they had fewer details than the Lightning-demon style's training program. They even had fewer options and only a tenth of the lessons.

n

"They don't even give credit to the Professor,

" Lieutenant Dyester snorted after inspecting the holograms.

nKhan shrugged his shoulders before pressing on the first lesson. The holograms morphed and transformed into a human figure that had vague facial features. The images appeared damaged, but Lieutenant Dyester explained that the program was simply old.

n

"Welcome to the basic training for the chaos element, unlucky fella,

" The slightly mechanical voice of a man came out of the phone.

"First of all, my condolences for your Tainted status.

"

n