#101
What is negotiation?
It can be expressed as adjusting and deriving a compromise when there are differences in the directions of oneself and others, although the details may vary based on interpretation.
Then, what is a successful negotiation?
Following the definition of negotiation, I would say that a successful negotiation is drawing the other party as close as possible to a compromise that aligns with one’s own direction.
“Of course, you all promised to keep today’s matters to yourselves, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Y-Yeah. So maybe there’s no need to—”
“I’m trusting you, so I’ll overlook mere words of promise. As long as you don’t betray us, this condition is as good as nonexistent.”
Right now, I was witnessing a new paradigm unfolding, breaking away from stereotypical ways of thinking.
Overwhelming power replaces eloquence and logic. The simplest and most reliable method of drawing concessions from others to approach one’s own goals is undoubtedly intimidation.
Negotiation and intimidation. They definitely have similarities, given they both thrive on the same root word.
“……”
However, one puzzling point is that the Elves, particularly Stella, seemed ridiculously frightened by the threat.
I just saw a glimpse of Stella’s strength, and considering that nobility is not given for free, it’s easy to understand why she inspires fear.
Additionally, from their reactions, it seems there was some history between Stella and the Elves. Thus, it wouldn’t be strange for them to approach me with caution.
“But it’s a bit excessive.”
But this is the Elves’ forest.
I wouldn’t underestimate Stella’s presence, yet I also couldn’t imagine I’d be anything but a thorn in the Elves’ sides.
Wouldn’t the Elves, protected by the mist barrier, be more greedy?
Is there a need for them to cower and deliberate at such a vague threat of hostility if they don’t keep a secret?
“Hum.”
But oddly enough, it seemed Stella was lacking something in this situation.
She tilted her head exaggeratedly and murmured as if to be heard, “I suppose a few hundred years were quite a long time for the Elves. They seem to have forgotten old connections.”
On the surface, that line seemed not too strange. However, because of the subtly threatening tone, even I, who didn’t know the details, recognized it as a threat.
“……”
Indeed, the strangely threatening attitude didn’t escape my imagination as some of the Elves standing on the trees showed visible signs of agitation.
They exchanged a few hushed words that I couldn’t hear, then nodded with visibly displeased expressions.
“…… Just leave. We promise to keep the secret.”
With that statement, the Elves vanished into the woods surprisingly willingly. The conclusion was almost disappointingly anticlimactic.
My heart was filled with doubt at the almost refreshing decisiveness of the Elves.
“Can we just let them go like that?”
“It’s fine.”
From the way they were rolling their eyes, the Elves were definitely not trustworthy folks. It was as if they were always waiting for an opportunity to pull the rug out from under me.
Stella must not be ignorant of this either. But what was she relying on to send them off with nothing but empty promises?
“The Mist Labyrinth is known as an impregnable fortress, but it has not been breached at all.”
“……Huh?”
“There was a time during the species war when I attacked Albresia. The young Elves under 300 years old may not know, but I’m sure there are some who remember.”
Her nonchalant tone belied the gravity of her revelation.
Historically, it is an undeniable fact that Vampires are weak in defensive battles.
In a defensive battle arising from an invasion, the invading side determines when to fight. Thus, if the invaders move their forces during the day, Vampires will have to face unfavorable battles.
Similarly, prolonged engagements are a weakness. Even if they begin fighting at night, when day comes, they must relinquish the hard-won initiative.
However, when it comes to guerrilla warfare with the intent of conquest thrown out the window, the true worth of Vampires reveals itself.
Particularly, high-ranking noble Vampires’ nighttime raids are akin to natural disasters. The damage a Vampire can cause when they unleash pure destruction is beyond imagination.
But regardless of how powerful a bomb is, it’s meaningless if it doesn’t hit the target location.
The problem with targeting Albresia for an attack is, after all, the so-called impregnable Mist Barrier, to which Stella provided a brief answer.
“A wizard specializing in ice magic is not afraid of the cold, and a fire wizard is not afraid of fire. The Mist Barrier is an illusion spell, and I am the continent’s greatest dark wizard.”
Only after hearing those words did I understand why the Elves were so terrified of Stella.
When it comes to magic one specializes in, it’s only natural to know its weaknesses well.
If the Elves’ barrier is an illusion spell, then the person most likely to breach it would naturally be a user of illusion magic.
And Stella is none other than the continent’s strongest dark wizard.
While not all illusion magic belongs to the darkness category, the majority of it does, so being the strongest dark wizard is almost synonymous with being the highest authority in illusion magic.
“Of course, it wasn’t easy. The resources spent breaching it were substantial, and at that time, the Elves’ skills were no joke, so I was in quite a precarious situation myself.”
“……I get the reason now, but can you intimidate them with just an event that happened so long ago?”
“It will work. Elves are surprisingly exclusive and suspicious of other races, with a strong sense of pride. Even after hundreds of years, they’ll never forget the humiliation of that day, nor will they stop fearing it. Moreover, today’s Elves are far weaker than during the war.”
No one would dispute the fact that Elves are a versatile and powerful race, but it is also an undeniable truth that it takes a long time for them to reach full maturity, much like their long lifespan.
Elves, who have a small population, don’t breed easily, and it takes hundreds of years for the younger generations to fully inherit the skills of their predecessors, leading to a slow generational transition.
When the species war began, Elves were once evaluated as the most powerful human race alongside Dragonkin.
However, after two centuries of species war, all humans faced tremendous sacrifices, and the evaluation was turned upside down.
Now, 300 years after the end of the war, for the Elves, who have lost a large number of brave and excellent forest warriors, the drastic decline in their combat strength isn’t just history but a current reality, as Stella stated.
“They are likely to be frightened, even if they don’t want to admit it. With their current strength weaker than during the war, they would not want to see their barrier shattered again. Additionally, even if they leak information, humans won’t believe Elven information without suspicion. The Elves surely take that into account.”
Now, I nodded with some reassurance.
Thinking back, the Elves just a while ago did seem a bit strange. Their expressions were such that their intentions were glaringly obvious, and they lacked the sharp and seasoned impression I imagined of Elves, giving off an oddly naive vibe.
If that was all evidence that they were still struggling to overcome the degradation caused by the war, everything starts to make sense.
No matter how strong Stella is, I had my doubts about whether taunting all of Albresia would truly work. Certainly, the Elves wouldn’t want to confront the only proven threat from their past while they were still caught up in internal issues.
Thus, the best conclusion the Elves could hope for would be for today’s events to remain a secret, and for humans to discover something suspicious and come after me by themselves.
In reality, I doubted I could expect to disguise my death indefinitely.
Basically, time is on the Elves’ side, so regardless of how many years it takes, as long as I end up dead and they successfully protect their barrier, they will consider it a victory.
“Have you decided where you’re headed?”
“Yes. If there’s something you need to gather from the forest, bring it now. I’ll clean up afterward.”
“There’s… not nothing I need to gather, but, um, I have companions.”
“You have companions?”
Stella looked surprised. She seemed to believe without a doubt that I had been operating alone.
In reality, I hadn’t expected it to turn out like this either.
Picking up Eleonora was half on a whim, and I hadn’t imagined that the connection initiated by that whim would last all the way to this point when I was leaving the Duchy.
Suddenly, recalling the indifferent attitude I had towards Plona earlier, I thought Stella might not be too happy about this, so I observed her expression.
But for some reason, contrary to my worries, Stella just nodded silently and gestured for me to hurry back.
“Lady Aria.”
Just as I turned to leave and had taken about three steps, Stella suddenly called me back again.
Now that I think about it, hadn’t this been the first time she referred to me by my name? It felt like something special, so I turned my head, silently asking what the matter was.
But perhaps calling me back was an impulsive act for her as well; Stella showed rare signs of hesitation.
After her lips fluttered a couple of times, she finally opened her mouth hesitantly.
“Are you okay?”
Is she really worrying about me?
Coming from someone who had been so stiff in the Duchy, it felt bizarre hear such words from her.
It must be about Plona, of course. Stella must have heard me muttering while I knelt beside Plona earlier.
“What about?”
But I pretended not to know.
If I could have said “I’m fine” even as a formality, it might have ended with that superficial exchange.
However, since I was genuinely okay, I couldn’t bring myself to respond that way.
I felt no sadness upon seeing Plona in such dire straits. Rather, I was driven by a sense of reason to save her, not emotion.
When I was about to lose Plona’s life, once again consumed by the urge to suck blood, it was a terrible feeling, but once I confirmed that I had saved Plona, it was hardly comparable to the fact that I quickly regained my composure.
That’s why I deliberately pretended not to know.
I felt it wouldn’t do to bury my genuinely unfazed emotions under a veneer of niceness.
“It’s nothing. Please hurry back.”
Fortunately, Stella didn’t pry any further.
Yes, worry is a luxury between us. This is good enough.
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