The Present Day
In the office of Duke Richard Medici.
The Duke sat silently, his eyes closed and expression calm. He wasn't thinking about anything in particular. The strange thing was that he was the only one present in the office. His shadow, Edward Payens, was nowhere to be seen.
Soon, there were two knocks at the door.
Knock. Knock.
The Duke opened his eyes, then said slowly,
"Come in."
The one who entered wasn't the butler, but Edward Payens.
And the second strange thing occurred — the expression of the knight wasn't calm.
This made the Duke frown. Even when the king had visited, his personal knight had remained expressionless. That emotionless face always gave the Duke a sense of stability, knowing that if he ever erred, there was at least one man who could see things objectively.
But today, that face wasn't expressionless.
He didn't even want to know the reason.
The Duke asked hesitantly,
"What happened?"
Edward replied,
"Master Richard, the Twelfth Lord of the Coalition of Twelve Lords has been selected."
The Duke frowned.
It was a big event — but it didn't concern them.
He asked,
"And? How does that affect us?"
Edward replied,
"The new Twelfth Lord is Adrian Lewin."
Saying the Duke was shocked would be an understatement.
He shouted angrily,
"Don't joke around, Edward! That's simply not possible. He's the same age as Alessar and Darian!"
Edward didn't respond.
The Duke fell back into his chair and muttered,
"Impossible... Is that why everyone we sent for them...?"
Then he laughed bitterly.
"His Majesty must be quite angry. He doesn't even have anyone left to blame now. Hahaha. Though our situation is bad — if he demands my head, would His Majesty even refuse?"
The knight stayed silent.
The Duke suddenly stood up.
"Edward, come with me. We're going to the Assassins Guild."
Edward's eyes widened in shock.
"Master!! No — you can't possibly... that's impossible!"
The Duke scoffed.
"We'll know once we go."
And so, the Duke, without any security and accompanied only by his personal knight, went to the Assassins Guild.
Being a very important client, the Duke was received quickly.
A member of the guild greeted him,
"Duke, we welcome you. Whose death has brought you to us?"
The Duke laughed.
"Someone whose death you can't afford."
The guild member asked cautiously,
"Meaning?"
The Duke brought out fifty platinum coins and said,
"Set a meeting with the Guild Leader."
The assassin's eyes widened in shock. He stammered,
"Y-Yes!"
Then the Duke left.
He soon returned to his mansion, wondering if he had made the right choice.
Fifty platinum coins were merely the fee for the Guild Leader to hear that someone had requested a meeting. Whether that meeting would actually happen depended entirely on luck — or if the leader found the request interesting.
---
In the Empire
The Emperor was sitting with his concubine, talking.
Then he heard a knock.
The Emperor rarely spent time with his concubine, so he had instructed not to be disturbed unless it was extremely important.
He left the room and stepped into the hall, where he found a member of the Imperial Knights waiting.
The Emperor frowned and asked angrily,
"Why do you disturb me?"
The knight trembled but replied,
"Others are gathering information, so I was the one tasked to inform you that the Twelfth Lord of the Coalition of Twelve Lords has been selected."
The Emperor roared in anger,
"This isn't something that allows you to disturb me!"
He unsheathed his sword, ready to execute the knight, but the terrified man quickly blurted out,
"He is a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy! His name is Adrian Lewin!"
The Emperor froze, completely stunned.
"Impossible!" he shouted.
The knight, though frightened, stood still.
The Emperor finally ordered,
"Find every detail you can."
---
Celestara Academy
The principal was sitting in his office when the door was knocked.
"Come in," he ordered.
Kael Ardentis entered.
The principal asked, puzzled,
"Is there some problem?"
Kael stated,
"The Twelfth Lord of the Coalition of Twelve Lords has been elected. He is Adrian Lewin — he was one of our students."
The principal smiled.
"Really? That's good news... though I don't recall anyone by that name. In three years, he must have participated in some event I'd remember. Strange."
Kael shook his head.
"He was a first-year student this year. He didn't return after the break."
The principal was shocked.
A seventeen-year-old became a powerhouse?
---
Meanwhile...
I, the one who had caused all this storm, was flying on Flash.
Only a few minutes ago, we had started our journey, but I was already thinking about what to do in the future.
Raven asked,
"Sir, are you going to stay in your territory, or do you have other plans?"
I replied honestly,
"I don't really have any plans for now, Raven."
Raven nodded.
For now, I had gained a foothold in this world — the very plan I had discussed with my uncle.
But just because I achieved it, could I stop now?
No.
I couldn't.
I shouldn't.
While thinking that, I saw a carriage moving through Omniscient.
!!!
That carriage belonged to my uncle.
I said to the Claw members,
"Everyone, descend."
Though confused, they followed my lead.
I stopped in front of the carriage.
Three men quickly jumped down and stood in front of it.
One of them said,
"Who are you? Identify yourself."
I showed them my ring.
The men's expressions turned to fear as they looked at each other.
One of them ran toward the carriage — probably to inform my uncle.
I asked,
"Who is in the carriage?"
The man replied,
"It's a family member of the Lewin family — Belhart Lewin."
Before we could continue, I heard my uncle's voice.
"Adrian?"
I smiled, realizing it really was him.
I asked,
"How did you reach here so quickly?"
His escorts looked uneasy.
Uncle explained,
"I was hiding here. This place is dangerous, which makes it also safe."
I showed him my ring.
His eyes went wide.
"Th-This..."
I smiled.
"My plan. You like it?"
He was so happy he started crying.
I said to the Claw members and his escorts,
"You all rest a little. I want to talk with my uncle."
The escorts looked to him; he nodded.
Inside the carriage, I said,
"Uncle, now we can live safely. I don't care about myself, but I was worried about you."
He smiled and shook his head.
"Adrian, I was worried about you. After all, I promised your father — but now you're safe."
He added,
"Adrian, I'm going to the Temple of Freedom."
I frowned.
"Why?"
He said softly,
"I don't have anything left. Now I just want peace. Please, Adrian, don't stop me."
I didn't know what to say. If I forced him, he wouldn't go, but I didn't want to force him either.
My eyes teared up. I said, sobbing,
"What will I have after you leave, Uncle? Why should I live?"
I wasn't even that emotionally connected to him — so why did I feel this way?
He hugged me gently and said,
"You have your whole life ahead of you. You'll meet many people."
I sighed.
"Okay, Uncle. But take my Sky Dog with you. His name is Flash."
He smiled and nodded.
We stepped out of the carriage and told his escorts their mission was over. They were S-rank adventurers he had hired at my request.
And so, I gave my uncle a farewell.
Then I turned to the Claw members.
"Raven, Lucas, Brock, Emma, and Emilia — you all helped me a lot. Without your help, I'd have been long dead. Thank you."
They all smiled.
Emma said,
"It was our mission, sir. And it was such a long one that it doesn't even feel like one now."
Everyone else nodded.
I smiled and said,
"You've earned my trust. Tell me, do you want to become my knights?"
They all looked shocked — they hadn't expected that.
Then they looked at each other.
Raven spoke first,
"Sir, you helped me see the world. I'd never have gone this far without you. But I always wanted freedom — that's why I became an adventurer. I must refuse. Actually, I'm thinking of retiring. After this mission, I finally have enough money. Sorry, sir, but I'll have to refuse."
I nodded.
Lucas spoke next,
"I'll also have to refuse, sir. I want to retire from battles and just research magic."
I nodded again.
Brock said,
"Actually, I'll retire too, sir — so I'll have to decline your kind offer."
Emma added,
"I'll also retire, sir. I'm thinking of opening a restaurant or an inn, so I'll have to refuse."
Emilia said next,
"Like Emma, I'll open a small inn and retire after this mission. Please forgive me."
I nodded and smiled.
"Okay then. Your mission officially ends now. You're free to go."
I paused, then added,
"However, before you go — here, this is a parting gift."
I gave each of them five platinum coins.
I said next,
"And I'd be blind not to notice how much you care for your Sky Dogs. They've bonded with you, so take them too."
Then I thought for a moment and said,
"Also, even if you try to live as good citizens, problems may still come knocking. If trouble ever becomes too big for you to handle, you can call for my help once."
And that was our farewell.
They all left.