Khan obviously didnât 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 wouldnât have gone past Lord Rsi, or even Lord Exr, let alone the Royal Guards or the Emperor himself.
However, the Emperor didnât even try to oppose the matter. The time for secrecy and classified locations was over, and Khanâs relationship with the Thilku Empire couldnât 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 wasnât 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 screenâs 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 Khanâs leading scientists.
Khan had shared all the necessary security codes to overcome Coravisâ safety measures before Zedekielâs 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. Iâm happy to see that you are safe and sound."
Khanâs forces had lost communication with the married couple ever since the departure from the last outpost, which had happened two weeks ago. That wasnât 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 couldnât pinpoint the callâs location due to Zedekielâs safety measures, but knew it came from inside the Thilku Empireâs domain.
That awareness wasnât only due to the communication channelâs specifics. It was simply hard to miss the huge figures at the coupleâs 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 Khanâs 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 Garretâs perspective. The Royal Guards didnât wear capes or crowns, so the scientist couldnât 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 wasnât exactly pleased by the Royal Guardsâ intrusive curiosity, but couldnât blame them, either. After all, their job was to protect the Emperor all the time, and Zedekiel probably made that task quite boring. They couldnât 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 thereâs much I need to update everyone about."
That didnât even come close to the whole truth. Khan had discovered so much in the Nakâs 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 didnât hesitate to request it.
"Howâs Yeza?" Khan promptly continued. "Howâs everyone in Coravis?"
The worry couldnât have been more justified. The universe didnât expand in a straight line, but Coravis remained the closest location to the Nakâs 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 outpostsâ 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 outpostsâ scanners didnât 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 Iâm assuming that was you."
Garret was correct, but Khan couldnât help but worry since the scientist had yet to clarify Yezaâs status, making his initial reply unsatisfactory.
"As for the young Princess," Garret continued, almost sensing Liizaâs growingly chilling gaze despite being several quadrants of the universe apart. "Itâs 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 Rebeccaâs 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," Zalpaâs 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 Coravisâs sea platforms appeared on the screen, together with various consoles, soldiers, and Princess Rebecca and Zalpaâs 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!"