We started moving toward our destination.
The Coalition of Twelve Lords.
It would be good to at least give a little introduction about the place I was going to.
It's situated on the west side of the continent. It shares its borders with the Empire. It's not very far from the academy—maybe a day from Sky Dogs—though we are quite far since we are on the eastern side of the continent.
In a way, it's the strongest force in the whole world, if we exclude demons. Though sometimes, it's the second strongest. It's really complicated.
It's not looked at positively by many. Why?
For that we are going to study some history.
How about I tell you how it was formed?
Let's say you're a powerhouse, but that doesn't mean people can't kill you. In fact many will want to kill you.
Around 800 years ago, a criminal was being hunted. But it wasn't just one powerhouse being hunted at that time. Another one was running too. In total, twelve such beings were being chased by twelve different forces.
Not all of them were evil, but you know how the world is… I mean, the Duke of the North was chasing me, wasn't he? And I'm a good person.
Just like that, all of them were being targeted. It wasn't really about good or bad.
By chance, the forces chasing them got information on them at the same time. So they were chased at same time by different forces at different places.
Considering whose perspective you look from, you could call it luck—or bad luck—but all those individuals met in a forest: the Ebonleaf Forest.
They were angry at being chased, and generally, beings like them don't like to team up. But the situation was dire. So, they made a pact—they wouldn't interfere with each other but for time being help each other. And so they fought together.
As I said, not all being chased were evil; some were neutral.
The forces chasing them were unwilling to team up. Only those in dire need can cooperate if they're not on the same wavelength. Chasers weren't allies, so they didn't team up. They had advantage why would they? But that became the reason of their unsuccessful hunt.
The twelve beings survived.
Now, the Ebonleaf Forest is the second-largest forest, but even that isn't big enough for twelve powerhouses. So, they started invading countries bordering the forest, expanding territory as much as they could without forcing too many big forces to team up. Many cities refused to be under them—they didn't care; they just eradicated whole cities in seconds.
Thus, they formed a kingdom, which many called "The Coalition of the Twelve Freaks." The beings themselves declared,
"We are the law. We are the ruin. We are the twelve."
They were feared, so the world settled on "The Coalition of the Twelve Lords."
In this world,a king rules the kingdom, and powerhouses keep other kingdoms in check, but kings are also kept in check by Powerhouses, though not directly. It's a complicated power dynamics.A king can't destroy a city just because a waiter spilled a drink on a stone he liked yesterday. But in the Coalition of the twelve lords, the rulers truly rule with an iron fist—they are the rulers, judges, and executioners.
In the Coalition of the twelve lords, the world's biggest criminal can be declared a saint, and a saint can be declared the world's biggest criminal.
A kingdom with twelve powerhouses. No one in their right mind says anything to them. Like them? Good for you. Don't like them? Just shut up—there's nothing you can do.
This is why Claw members don't want to go there.
There's no nobility. City executives may pass down positions to sons or daughters, but strength is the only thing that matters. In other kingdoms, someone important can be recognized by clothes or guards. In the Coalition of the twelve lords, a person can be strong and look like a citizen—or maybe even be a lord.
If you're not an adventurer from the region, it's better to avoid going there. Afterall who knows ,you might just offend someone you shouldn't have.
As we moved, I finally felt I was close to my goal—just a little more…
Twenty-four days passed, and we reached the border of the Coalition of the Twelve Lords.
Emma asked,
"Do we really need to do this?"
I nodded.
Brock said,
"At least tell us why we're going."
I smirked,
"If I tell you, you won't go."
Emilia said grimly,
"That's very reassuring. Really puts my heart at ease."
Lucas said to Raven,
"At least you can secretly tell us."
Raven replied,
"He didn't say a word more to me than he did to any of you. Figure it out yourselves—or you'll find out soon enough."
They all started cursing at Raven.
Emma said,
"At least we're in the air, so offending someone is difficult."
---
"The young master wants your Sky Dogs. Consider this your fortune and offer it to him."
Everyone stared at Emma, who averted her eyes.
A few hours ago, I had suggested,
"Let's take a rest in the forest. The Sky Dogs have been flying for a while now."
Everyone agreed. So, we landed in a small forest. The leaves were green, fruits hung from the trees, and the river was full of fish. This place felt like the right spot to make a small cabin—or even retire from life. No monsters nearby. Even from a safety perspective, it was perfect.
We fished leisurely, even though we had packed food. Fresh food is different from packed food, no matter how you look at it. We had already gathered fruits from the trees.
While fishing for fun, we were still competitive, comparing the size and number of our catches. Then we cooked the fish. There were too many, so we fed the extras to the Sky Dogs, even though they had already hunted food for themselves. I mean if you take a life ,you should respect it.
Suddenly, I heard voices:
"Young master, do you really want those flying beasts?"
"Yes."
Sigh
"Well, the direction they went was somewhere there."
"Though they looked like they were descending, maybe they just caught some monsters and left."
"Are you trying to be lazy?"
"Never, young master."
"Young master! I see some people there. Why not ask them?"
"Okay, go quickly."
By now, Claw members were aware someone was coming. Soon, a man in knight's armor appeared but quickly ran back. Everyone, except me, was confused. I had heard quite a lot with Omniscient, so I understood what was happening.
Soon, a few knights and a boy came toward us. The boy looked at the Sky Dogs and nodded. He ordered a knight,
"Go negotiate."
The knight approached arrogantly:
"The young master wants your Sky Dogs. Consider this your fortune and offer it to him."
I spoke,
"We have to travel a long distance. It would be inconvenient for us to give up our Sky Dogs."
The knight, angry, asked,
"Oh! And you want the Sky Dogs to take your corpses to your destination?"
Emma laughed. Everyone looked at her. She averted her eyes.
Is she angry I'm not telling her why I brought her here? Is that why she's making my life difficult?
I took a breath and said resolutely,
"We won't offer our Sky Dogs."
The knight, now angrier, asked,
"Do you know who our young master is?"
Emma asked,
"Is he someone very important?"
The knight finally nodded, feeling he would succeed,
"That's right, lady. Obviously, you're the most sensible person here. Offer your Sky Dogs, and I'll put in a good word for all of you."
I felt like Emma was going to say something she shouldn't.
She smirked at me, then looked at the knight again and said,
"If your young master is so great, why doesn't he buy one for himself instead of being a bandit?"
This little…!!!
The knight immediately drew his sword. In response, Emilia drew her rapier. Following her lead Emma drew her blades, Brock took out his spear pointing it at knight, Lucas readied his staff and gathered mana to use spell if needed and Raven drew his katana.
Seeing things escalate, a few more knights came. Now, only a mage stood near the Young Master while everyone else was with us.
Another knight, who was older, approached the one who had drawn his sword and asked,
"What's going on here?"
The younger knight with the sword replied angrily,
"These bastards refuse to give up and are insulting the Young Master by calling him a bandit!"
The older knight muttered,
"Bandit?"
Then he asked the younger one,
"Over what price is the discussion stuck?"
The younger knight, embarrassed, said,
"Why should the Young Master pay anything?"
The older knight finally caught on and snapped,
"Didn't the Young Master send you to negotiate? Do you even know what the word negotiation means?"