Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Stop the Bullying! (6)
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Negotiations could only proceed from a position of equality.
In the end, the side with more to lose had no choice but to bow its head. In that sense, Yuyeong was confident. She had a crystal-clear grasp of the Royal Knights' situation.
The power of foresight that allowed her to glimpse the future. According to that vision, the Royal Knights would suffer total annihilation on their reckless expedition, with no survivors. That's why she'd tried to pull some personnel out beforehand.
But his will had been too overwhelming to overcome. In the end, her close friend had no choice but to join the expedition. And there, she lost her life. Yet Yuyeong couldn't fully trust it.
Foresight wasn't always accurate. So she'd mobilized every resource to gather information. And thanks to that, she'd learned three members had made it back alive.
Fortunately, her friend was among them. Perhaps that's why she'd acted so rashly for once. And this was the result. Yuyeong rolled her eyes.
Kluna, the pinnacle among the infamous forest guardians. And Yuren, the former captain of the Royal Knights, a legend who needed no introduction. Just their presence alone crushed her with their aura.
"Any tea is fine?"
But the most baffling was the man right in front of her. A mere human. How could he move so calmly sandwiched between those two overwhelming presences?
Yuyeong quickly corrected her thinking. The beastkin tribes' values were close to those of beasts. In other words, they tended to view weaker races as prey and dismiss them. Humans were the prime example.
Indeed, after the Twelve Tribes were established, humans were the race they'd warred with most. And they'd won most of those battles. That's why she'd unconsciously looked down on him.
But that was a dangerously complacent mindset. The captain's seat of the Royal Knights wasn't for just anyone. She'd heard he was some nameless knight from the refugee camps.
Yuyeong wasn't one to fall for such laughable intelligence work. And reality proved it. Look at him now, casually offering her tea amid those monsters.
"Anything is fine."
"My apologies first. It seems my knights' hospitality was a bit rough."
"No, not at all. It didn't bother me in the slightest."
Yuyeong barely swallowed her anger at the captain's stone-faced delivery. He'd known everything and prepared for it, yet he apologized in such a roundabout way?
But losing her temper here would only prove she was third-rate. In negotiations, the key was hiding your own emotions while drawing out the opponent's.
Emotions were a great window to sincerity. You could read their true intentions from emotional shifts. And that gave you the upper hand. Yuyeong smiled as she replied.
"If anything, I should thank you for such splendid hospitality."
"Splendid hospitality?"
"Yes. My warriors learned a thing or two thanks to it."
"Glad you see it that way."
With that, he moved straight to the next topic. Not a flicker of change in his expression. How was that possible? Well, maybe he had no expressions at all. That happened often enough.
But not a single micro-shift? That was something else entirely. Even the forest guardian had shown subtle fluctuations. This man showed absolutely nothing.
Could he control his emotions that perfectly? Or was there something more? Come to think of it, he'd been the one who saved Captain Yuren. No way.
No, no.
She couldn't jump to conclusions yet. The unknown bred fear, and fear led to dread. And that emotion was a severe disadvantage in negotiations. Yuyeong spoke up.
"Shall we get to the main point?"
"Music to my ears."
"To maintain smooth relations between the Twelve Tribes and the Royal Knights..."
They exchanged many words. But over seventy percent were just empty ornamentation. The captain responded in kind. The mood had warmed up a bit.
That's when Yuyeong proposed one condition. In exchange for resuming the Twelve Tribes' commissions, they'd provide support. It sounded reasonable at first glance. But the problem was the amount of support.
It was so insultingly meager it barely qualified as Twelve Tribes aid. The moment she said it, Kluna scowled. Even Yuren's face twisted.
"What do you think? Not a bad deal, right?"
"Hmm, sure. Let's do that then."
"...Pardon?"
He accepted the absurd proposal without hesitation. Now Yuyeong was the flustered one. She'd never expected him to agree. She'd prepared for the backlash.
But the captain suddenly snatched it up. It left her in an awkward spot. The Royal Knights—however hostile—would get near-free support.
Of course, it meant resuming ties with the Twelve Tribes, which was a plus. But Yuyeong wasn't satisfied with just that. Slightly rattled, she pressed on.
"You're accepting that little?"
"We're not in a position to be picky about tea or coffee right now."
"But...!"
"Any issues?"
She had to say something. But it felt like something was lodged in her throat. She still couldn't read anything from him. No flow, no tells.
It was beyond stonewalling ignorance. He made it impossible to read even his aura. That's when Yuyeong felt the emotion of the unknown.
Not everything matched perfectly. But her foresight was generally accurate. And she'd leveraged it well. Yet it had never been this off before.
During the elf conflict, rushing had botched things. And the forest guardian, knowing of her power, had struck her blind spot and altered the future. But before that, never wrong.
This man was different. The Royal Knights' wipeout. Captain Yuren's death. Every prediction had missed the mark. All because of the man before her.
She couldn't think otherwise. Because in the future she'd seen, this man hadn't existed at all. The unknown twisted into fear. Fear birthed dread.
It was like a sighted person suddenly going blind.
If eyes that saw fine abruptly failed.
Who wouldn't feel terror?
Ah~ What a relief.
Truly fortunate. The negotiations with the Twelve Tribes ended better than expected. Yuyeong, was it? She suddenly felt ill and rushed out, but still.
Well, can't blame her.
Her two assailants were right beside me. I'd have reacted the same. Of course, I'd tried to keep them away. But they were stubborn, and I got overruled.
Did I really feel zero dignity as captain? Nah, whatever. Doesn't matter. Seeking dignity through rank is how you go astray. This is good enough for now.
"Captain, is this really okay?"
"The support was even less than we'd imagined."
"Beggars can't be choosers."
In our situation, could we afford to turn down cold rice? We were in no position to scoff even at moldy leftovers. Sure, we'd have to handle the Twelve Tribes' commissions as payment.
But that was exactly what I wanted. The Royal Knights were originally an interspecies knight order. Meaning, without support from other races, we couldn't sustain ourselves.
Of course, the Twelve Tribes' aid was pathetically small. But you can't fill your belly on the first bite. Getting even that much was a godsend right now.
"You two did well too. But from now on, no more rough stuff—handle things politely."
"So that's the approach you chose, Captain."
"Yeah, exactly."
Kluna said admiringly. I nodded. I'd shown the example, so Kluna and Yuren should follow suit easily. They soon returned to their rooms.
"She seemed pretty rattled."
"This time, your help was crucial, Lady Yuren."
"Oh, come on. I know a thing or two about the rat tribe's leader..."
"Whew, anyway, that's one headache down for me."
Watching their retreating backs as they left the office, I let out a sigh of relief. No need to chew them out harshly. The fact that I said it matters.
I'd warned them. That's the key. Then if trouble brews later, I can dodge blame. Tricks I picked up at the company.
Ways to slither out of any mess like a loach. Sadly, I couldn't pull it off well enough and quit. Anyway, no desire to waste emotions yelling.
I'll hand off the captaincy soon anyway.
Just muddle through without causing waves.
This negotiation too. If I pushed for more and blew it up? Better to secure what we can.