Even if Khan had never seen the Niqols, the words he spoke confird his identity beyond a shadow of a doubt. Khan had finally t Deni, Liiza's father, and that first impression was undeniably good.
Warm presence aside, Deni looked quite kind and composed. His request didn't sound like an order at all. None of his words had tried to claim any authority over Khan.
Also, Deni had addressed Khan with utmost politeness, even using his title and acknowledging his married status. It seed Khan wouldn't have to fight to gain Liiza's father's recognition.
Ultimately, Deni was only a third-level warrior. Khan could effortlessly see right through him, spotting his genuine character. If Khan had to guess, he would bet that the whole reason behind Deni's presence boiled down to a father worried about his daughter.
Still, that kindness and good impression couldn't solve the main problem.
Wayne didn't just cut his hair short in those years. Mana filled his body to the brim, leaving no room for more. The bastard noble didn't only beco a fifth-level warrior. He had reached the very peak of that realm.
The implications of that growth were obviously positive. George had sent Wayne to help Khan in his mission, and that task required all the strength anyone could get their hands on.
Wayne was also a unique case. His physique had already been inhuman years ago, featuring unfathomable strength, uncommon abilities, and terrific resilience. Those qualities were bound to have improved, too, likely putting Wayne closer to Liiza, Ilman, and Khan in terms of battle prowess compared to ordinary warriors.
Yet, Khan never considered those implications. His mind stopped at Wayne's elent. More mana usually ant more powerful and intrusive effects, and even Khan's rich battle experience failed to predict what Wayne could do now.
Liiza wanted to join that conversation, especially since her father was involved. However, Khan didn't move, continuing to shield her with his body. One of his hands was on her belly, too, so she stayed put, awaiting his okay.
Being protected wasn't Liiza's style, but she couldn't let her pride take over her now. She had her child to think about, and Khan was the best barrier there was against such a curious elent.
Nevertheless, Wayne seed to have spoken the truth. Usually, his excitent was the trigger for his elent's strange effects, and the man didn't lack any of that now.
Yet, nothing happened. The tal ramp didn't break, the mana barrier remained stable, and no one slipped. Khan couldn't spot a single unusual tremor in the symphony, allowing himself to relax slightly.
"Set your ship on autopilot before coming here," Khan ordered. "Make it follow us while we talk."
Wayne perford a stiff and uncharacteristic military salute while retaining his broad smile before hurrying back inside his ship. Apparently, he was the pilot of that vessel, and Deni remained on the tal ramp, seemingly waiting for his return.
Now that the reason behind Khan's wariness was gone, Liiza couldn't justify his protection anymore. She caressed Khan's arm to make him remove his hand from her belly, stepping at his side to address that family reunion.
"[Dad, what are you doing here]?" Liiza asked. A stranger would fail to notice it, but Khan heard the shyer and more awkward tunes in Liiza's tone.
"[Liiza, you got married and are pregnant]," Deni explained, smiling gently. "[I wanted to congratulate with you, introduce myself to your Husband, and et my grandchild]."
Khan didn't forget proper manners, so he perford the politest Niqols' bow he could muster, as well as the best Niqols' accent. "[It's a pleasure to et you, father-in-law. I'm Khan. I had the honor of marrying your daughter, which I'll forever consider the greatest achievent in my life]."
"[There's no need to be so polite]," Deni responded, performing another bow. "[My daughter chose you as her Husband. The honor is mine]."
Wayne returned in ti to see the two n bowing at each other, separated by the ship's entrance. His eyes lit up, and his excitent flared, so he hurried to Deni's side, performing an identical gesture.
Khan sensed that event and lifted his head, illuminating the two bowing n with his eyes. The scene created a strange conflict in his mind, pitting a glaring headache against his stiffest persona.
Luckily, Khan wasn't alone there. White light eventually shone on him, making him glance to his right. Liiza was wearing a slightly timid and apologetic expression, and his worries vanished.
"Please, co inside," Khan welcod, straightening his back and pointing a smile at Deni while his wary eyes kept falling on Wayne.
The two n finally moved at that invitation. Deni and Wayne entered the relatively flat ship, and its entrance closed behind them. The latter couldn't help but inspect those strange insides upon his arrival, but Deni kept looking and smiling at the married couple.
"[Dad, I'm sorry for not contacting you]," Liiza imdiately broke the silence, "[But this trip is dangerous. We are heading for the Nak's ho world]."
"[I heard all about that]," Deni revealed, "[But that's even more reason for to co. You'll have to leave the baby with soone, and who's better than family]?"
Deni suddenly realized sothing, wearing an apologetic face and bowing to Khan again, switching back to the human language. "If Prince Khan agrees, of course."
The situation started to grow awkward, but Zalpa interrupted that trend before Khan could do anything about Deni.
"[Family]," Zalpa snorted. "[You rembered about that a few decades too late]."
"[Hello, Zalpa]," Deni greeted, moving his bow toward Zalpa. "[Thank you for always looking out for my daughter]."
"[Soone has to]," Zalpa snorted again. "[But she has Khan now. I'm only here to deliver the baby]."
Khan and Liiza couldn't help but turn toward Zalpa. Part of them believed they had misheard her, but it seed she had truly publicly implied that Khan was trustworthy.
Wayne felt left out, so he joined the conversation, delivering a surprising statent. "[Khan also looked out for ]!"
Liiza half-ignored that statent, but Khan simply couldn't. He focused on the smiling human, who looked at him like an excited puppy awaiting acknowledgnt.
"[When did you learn the Niqols' language]?" Khan asked.
"[It was part of my rehabilitation]!" Wayne laughed. "[I followed your example, learning everything you learned. Finding what I liked ca next]."
The declaration was confusing for the group since they didn't know Wayne's sad story, and Khan was aware they would all keep standing for days if he let that trend continue like that.
"[Let's go to the bridge and sit down]," Khan sighed, refraining from massaging his temples in front of Liiza's father. "[I need to get the ship moving and drink sothing, or more than sothing]."
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