Chapter 1490: Selfish
Luckily for Khan, Ilman’s desire to celebrate surpassed his eagerness to play matchmaker for their children. The two could easily leave their women behind with the promise of coming back soon, heading for the nearest cauldron available.
Ilman’s happy mood would typically guide him directly to the Niqols group to celebrate among his peers. Khan also wanted Liiza’s species and the Nele to meet in those friendlier circumstances for personal reasons and because the war effort would need their cooperation.
However, the two men silently agreed to delay those joyful but more time-consuming tasks for now, approaching a cauldron among human soldiers to find cups and fill them before heading for emptier spots beyond the vast crowd.
Khan welcomed that silent understanding. After all, he had something important to ask, something that was better asked privately.
Yet, Ilman seemed to have similar intentions, and Khan couldn’t understand what. If anything, the happiness plastered on his Niqols friend’s face intensified his reservations toward his request, almost urging him to give up on it altogether.
The mutual silence continued even after the two men sat in a relatively isolated area of the desert, only leaving room for an instinctive traditional toast. Khan and Ilman maintained eye contact while clinging their cups together, diverting their gazes when it was time to drink.
As Khan and Ilman lowered their cups, they both ended up staring at the sea of people nearby, experiencing different emotional reactions.
For Khan, that crowd was the fulfillment of his main goal, especially now that the Orlats and Nele had arrived. He had made the regulated universe come together to draw a joint banner, completing what his political journey had always been about.
Meanwhile, Ilman felt proud and delighted. In a strange twist of fate, the Niqols had gone from hesitantly accepting a handful of humans at their parties to managing a massive gathering of the most prominent species in the regulated universe.
In a way, that was what the Niqols’ customs had always been about, and the entire universe could enjoy them now. It was truly incredible how far that species had gone, and Ilman knew he only had Khan to thank for that.
Except, Ilman couldn’t waste his friend’s precious time in additional gratitude. He had to make a selfish request, something that was almost as important as Jenna in his mind.
"Khan, my friend," Ilman called, breaking the silence while placing a hand on Khan’s shoulder. "I know this is selfish of me, but I have something to ask."
Ilman’s serious tone distracted Khan from his thoughts about his male friends’ strange attachment to his shoulders, but that undivided attention soon revealed itself unnecessary.
"However!" Ilman promptly continued, raising his voice. "I must say this, both for me and Jenna. Would you do me the honor of being my best man?"
Khan’s face went blank as he cursed himself for not realizing where that was going. He didn’t know what kind of problems Ilman had created for himself around that request, but they were obviously unfounded, especially since he had done the same for him.
"Of course," Khan accepted, suppressing a helpless sigh from escaping his lips. "The honor would be mine."
Khan’s survival instincts suddenly flared, reminding him of what was bound to come. He even lifted his arms, getting ready for one of Ilman’s affectionate but violent hugs. Except that never came.
Instead, Ilman remained serious, and even his grip on Khan’s shoulder tensed up as he moved to the next issue.
"You truly are the greatest friend I could have ever asked for," Ilman declared. "But! I must once again be selfish."
"Ilman, just say it," Khan chuckled, ready for more of his friend’s nonsense.
"The imminent war and ongoing migration make for poor timing," Ilman explained. "Jenna and I agreed to postpone our marriage until the universe is at peace. Can I ask you to wait that long before being my best man?"
"Of course," Khan repeated. "I’ll wait as long as you need."
Khan’s survival instincts rang again, making him empty his cup to spare it from the violent hug that was bound to arrive now. Yet, nothing of the sort unfolded.
"However!" Ilman shouted again, somehow being even louder than before. "I’m ashamed to say I have another selfish request!"
Khan couldn’t pretend to match Ilman’s seriousness anymore. He sighed, rubbing the corners of his eyes, inviting his friend to be less dramatic. "Ilman, you know you don’t need all these pleasantries, right?"
"I’m afraid I must voice them," Ilman declared, "Because I’m asking you to absolve me from my role in the Nele’s migration so that I can fight in the war."
Khan’s fingers froze mid-rubbing. He lowered his hands and lifted his head, matching the red light shining on his face.
Ilman’s job indeed involved overseeing the Nele’s migration, and the fact that Khan had personally appointed him for the task made him struggle to go back on it.
Nevertheless, Ilman’s request touched upon something serious for once, something Khan had actually planned to ask him himself. Major General Arngan was one of Khan’s prime candidates for the battles against the True Chaos’ Kings, but so was Ilman.
Actually, Khan considered Ilman’s potential to be far greater than the General’s. After all, he had seen his own wife in action, and Ilman had gone through the same training. His aura, red glowing eyes, and full head of long red hair stated as much.
Chances were Ilman could already hold his own against evolved warriors despite being in the fifth level, meaning his battle prowess would skyrocket once and if he decided to enter the superior realm.
However, there lay the problem. The evolution wasn’t only dangerous. Ilman now had much to look forward to as a mortal, and his situation was different from Khan’s since his woman was a fourth-level warrior.
"Do you understand what this war entails?" Khan questioned. "I bet you want to fight at my side, but that would require you to evolve."
"I’m ready," Ilman nodded. "I have been ready for a while. I couldn’t be readier."
"What about Jenna and your kid?" Khan wondered. "You know what the evolution means. Are you sure you want to put your relationship at risk?"
That was a common concern, something Khan and Liiza had been lucky enough to avoid facing because they had paid a different price. Evolved warriors weren’t inconsequential to the universe, so their relationships couldn’t be as straightforward as those among mortals.
Ilman would end up facing that problem if he were to evolve. He would become a superior existence in a relationship with a mortal far weaker than him, who experienced life in a far different way.
That different perspective could create a dangerous rift in any relationship. Khan had experienced it with Monica and didn’t want the same to happen to Ilman and Jenna. The latter was no human, but that threat remained.
Yet, Ilman frowned before exploding into a loud laugh. "What risk? My raging feelings will intensify, but Jenna can handle them. I actually suspect she can’t wait for it."