The safety of rules didn’t exist in Khan’s presence. The nobles could mand assets far grander than all of them put together due to the authority they wielded, but that power only existed as long as everyone played the same game.
That authority crumbled the second someone like Khan decided to ignore it. The social contract that had ruled humankind for over five hundred years would disappear in a blink, only leaving room for primitive yet pristine and actual power.
The larger and stronger army could ignore right or wrong and do as it pleased. Military might was the most ancient and factual expression of authority. It was also the most real, able to dismiss any rule or ethics.
The mana had even made armies superfluous. A single, immensely powerful being could embody that destabilizing power, making any existing law, agreement, or authority meaningless. The strong could decide what was right, while the weak could only ply or die.
The nobles’ authority stemmed from a bination of military might and political influence, so it was far from brittle.
Yet, the nine representatives knew they would be powerless against Khan. He was too strong and incorruptible, too far away from their reach to affect his actions and force him to care about their made-up rules.
Of course, Khan had a decent set of values, but that was war. His moral pass was meaningless when the regulated universe’s survival was at stake. He would bee a tyrant if the situation demanded it.
Actually, Khan hadn’t resorted to that yet for something far more basic and simpler than ethics. He belonged to a different world. His concept of life was far beyond the trivial rules that kept the nobles in power. He understood and knew how to play according to them, but he found that pointless and demeaning.
Khan had no place in that political environment anymore. Part of him even failed to acknowledge its relevance and necessity. He only wanted to stay away from it, but the war required it, so he would accept taking over it if the nobles played hard to get.
Typically, the noble representatives wouldn’t have hesitated too much to express their support for Khan and the allied front. After all, they were aware of their limited influence there, and the opportunity was undoubtedly priceless.
The nobles’ initial opposition and demand for insurance were largely a pretense, too. It was what was expected of them due to their long-held relevant political position within humankind.
Those wrinkles could have easily been ironed out with a regular, private meeting, but Khan had made his speech publicly. Leaders from the Global Army had heard his destabilizing words, preventing the nobles from backing down. That would be akin to admitting their inferiority, putting them in a tough spot.
Luckily, the issue with sending representatives whom Khan might be biased against became a factor now. At least three nobles were already on Khan’s side, and one of them didn’t really care for social constructs.
"Prince Khan, get to the point," Princess Edna requested, as restless as ever. "What do you need from the noble families?"
Khan spotted Ron, Princess Edna’s noble guard, hiding his face in helplessness behind the group of representatives. The Princess had always been famous for her unbridled behavior, but it ended up greatly backfiring now, at least for her fellow nobles.
"Princess Edna, you can’t speak for our families," Princess Saintilon called out.
"I’m not," Princess Edna casually responded. "But what’s the point in all this anyway? Prince Khan’s force is outside the Global Army’s regulations. All his allies aren’t, so we can’t hold him to our standards."
Princess Edna spoke the silent truth out loud, earning herself some veiled resentment from her peers. They were indeed trying their best to force Khan to play the role of a noble, but he wouldn’t hear it.
"Also, we don’t have a choice," Princess Edna continued. "Prince Khan is right. We need him, not the other way around. The noble families should be grateful he has chosen to respect our authority."
That seemed to set the matter in stone, but support for Princess Edna’s stance arrived before those opposed to her could speak against her.
"Princess Edna is correct," Princess Rachel announced, "Upon deeper consideration, the Montares family will offer immediate support and leave the negotiations for later."
"The Rassec family has already expressed its support for Prince Khan’s allied front," Prince Rick added.
Prince Edna didn’t need to repeat herself, meaning that three out of the nine noble families had already accepted that subservient condition, leaving the remaining six lost about what to do.
Being ostracized would be a massive problem, especially since that punishment would extend far past humankind. Yet, the nobles could have found ways out of that if they had remained united.
Nevertheless, the situation was too far gone. The six remaining nobles even knew that many among them were inclined to join Khan. Their tough front had crumbled in no time, leaving them no option but to concede their position of authority.
Khan didn’t need additional words of agreement to understand that the issue was no more. The mood in his eyes had changed, bringing him back to Princess Edna’s initial question.
"The noble families have the best technologies and scientists among humankind," Khan declared. "I put everyone working on the mutagen since it’s the only known effective weapon against the True Chaos. Your experts should join that project."
That was easy enough to acplish and wouldn’t really cost the noble families anything. They couldn’t work on that project privately, either, since Khan had a monopoly over the main resource, making cooperation with the allied front necessary.
The nobles also had a deep interest in getting their hands on the mutagen. After all, the True Chaos was a real threat, so they needed a real countermeasure.
"As for the other thing," Khan continued. "Any asset you can add to the allied front is wele, but I must insist on taking a look at the evolved warriors on your payroll. It turns out I’m in deep need of monsters."
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