The principles of negotiation, the second one.
If you want something, shout it out, even louder than that!
◆◆
“…What do you want?”
Did my sarcastic remark about using orphans as hostages hit too close to home? Yuron asked me what I intended with a lowered voice, simmering with barely suppressed anger.
“Well, it’s quite troublesome. I finally recruit a decent talent… but with such weaknesses, it’s hard to cultivate and use them without worrying, right?”
I shrugged nonchalantly, displaying psychological superiority with my carefree smile.
Then I proposed, “If you could quietly dispose of those orphans, I’d appreciate it. If you do that, Lakan will also handle it without compensation.”
I’d trade Lakan’s neck for all the orphans to be killed.
“What…! Are you seriously saying to kill all those kids?”
Perhaps it was an unimaginable suggestion, Yuron’s mouth hung open in shock as he repeated my claim.
Well, it was indeed a shocking proposal. Even I thought it sounded like a deal a demon would make. Not that I’m a demon or anything…
“Well, they wouldn’t be much use anymore, right? Those kids would prefer to reunite with their parents rather than become a nuisance to the ones who saved them.”
…Anyway, no way.
I mean, it sounded like something even Satan would gasp at, but come on, I still have to pass as somewhat human, right?
I can’t say I’m 100% human, but… well, that’s not really the point now.
“What are you hesitating about? Think about it. Trading the head of a long-time headache for just a handful of kids, doesn’t it sound like a fair exchange?”
What mattered now was to urge Yuron to make a decision. I just needed to pull him one step closer with my hand extended.
“Compare it on the mental scale, Lord Yuron. What should you gain, and what should you sacrifice? Which choice benefits you, and which one benefits the Guild?”
I twisted my mouth into a snake-like grin and whispered in a low, smooth tone, sounding like a high-ranking member of an assassination organization.
“Surely you’re not going to say you’re hesitant in such a situation, are you? The ‘Guild Leader’ Yuron, who tied people up with money and hostages, and sent poisoned daggers to those who got in his way?”
Words of persuasion… no, seduction, to make him choose the ‘right’ choice for the Guild’s survival and prosperity, as well as for his own desires.
Logically speaking, accepting my offer was the more reasonable choice.
On one side of the scale was the lives of orphans who were no longer of use, and on the other was the fate of the Guild. Just considering objective value, the latter was overwhelmingly more significant.
“…I refuse. Even I have lines I refuse to cross. I don’t know about you.”
However, Yuron firmly rejected me. His shake of the head wasn’t just casual; his gaze was filled with contempt and outright disdain.
That was a proper refusal.
Honestly, if Yuron was only concerned about that and planned to push for a family reunion for the orphans, I would be in quite a bind.
If it actually happened, it would be a disaster of unprecedented proportions.
If that happens, Ashel might just flip and come after me vowing to kill me. I asked her to rid me of worries about the orphans, not to eliminate the orphans!
“Well, that’s too bad. I thought it was a good suggestion.”
I sighed, giving a light shrug as if disappointed, but this was all just a performance to control the negotiation atmosphere.
That proposal was, from the outset, just a bluff based on the assumption of being rejected.
It was a bluff pretending to concede a step back, intending to achieve the truly desired conditions.
From the very beginning, when I laid the groundwork with Ashel, I never expected Yuron to accept such a proposal.
The conversations we had might’ve gone something like this…
– That guy’s kind of a jerk, but he’s not completely rotten to the core, you know?
– Ah, that’s definitely true. He seems willing to do anything, but he doesn’t touch anything that would earn him his father’s disdain.
– Um…? Wait a minute. What makes you so sure? Did you do a background check?
– Well… um, I just had a feeling…?
Roughly like that.
Based on Ashel’s evaluation from observing Yuron and my own knowledge from the original story, the chance of Yuron accepting a demand to eliminate orphans was nonexistent.
Yuron is the type who’d become as ruthless as necessary for the survival of the Guild… but even then, he has his own criteria.
Assassination, kidnapping, torture, and threats are permitted only against clear villains or hostile threats to the Guild’s existence.
To Yuron, slaughtering innocent orphans like dogs would be an intolerable atrocity.
Even if it led to massive benefits for the Guild.
So, it was only natural for him to refuse my offer with contempt, glaring at me as if I were some kind of waste.
“Then—”
If that’s the case, how about lowering the stakes a bit?
“If you’re reluctant to sacrifice the orphans, how about you hand them all over to us as a second option?”
“…The result is the same, isn’t it?!”
Yuron raised his voice slightly, refusing as if telling me to quit the nonsense. He was accusing me of planning to kill all the kids if he handed them over.
“Hmm… you really don’t have to worry about that. I’m not one to waste resources that fall into my hand. Just hand them over, and I’ll train them into fine assassins.”
What a terrible misunderstanding! I’m not that wicked!
Well, I am pretending to be that wicked though.
“Quit talking nonsense! Those kids are just ordinary kids! There’s no talent for being assassins!”
“Mr. Guild Leader, you seem to be unfamiliar with this line of work. The difference in talent for assassins is only a matter of being exceptional or ordinary; there’s no such thing as a person without talent.”
I shook my head slightly, spinning some baseless nonsense to deny Yuron’s claim that the kids lacked talent to be assassins.
“…What does that mean?”
“As long as they have loyalty to the organization and the boldness to not value their own lives, anyone can become an assassin.”
Those are the only two qualities needed to be an assassin. It sounded plausible at first glance, but really, this was just meaningless babble.
What do I know about being an assassin?
The position of being a head of the Eagle’s Talon was just a title—it meant I was anything but an assassin myself.
But Yuron doesn’t know that.
Because of that, with just a convincing aura and statements, I could fully exploit his ignorance and fool him perfectly.
“And our Eagle’s Talon is confident in our ability to discipline and instill those qualities better than any organization out there.”
This statement was also a carefully crafted boast, but it was probably true.
Argantir does indeed train especially talented kids from among the orphans into assassins.
“Not just poor orphans from the slums, but even a noble lady from a distinguished family can be trained to be an assassin with just a little work.”
Of course, the ‘training’ I was subtly insinuating about was entirely different from the actual training of the Eagle’s Talon.
What Argantir aims to foster are reusable shadowy blades, whereas what I meant by ‘training’ was more akin to brainwashing to produce disposable bullets.
Even if they don’t know how to hide or run, as long as they succeed in killing the target, they’ve succeeded as assassins, right?
If they end up committing suicide instead of being captured, it’s even better!
What I was alluding to was this very concept of ‘disposable’ assassins.
Even if they only have their bodies, with the right brainwashing, they could serve as effective projectiles that pierce the enemy, and then shatter immediately.
“Besides… who knows? Even if they’re rotten arrows, if you have a dozen, maybe two or three could be reused?”
Perhaps among those orphans, there might be an unexpectedly talented sprout who could return alive with abilities I never expected.
“…Is that what you’re calling a proposal?”
Of course, from Yuron’s standpoint, it was nothing short of infuriating.
From the moment I revealed my intent to train the orphans as disposable assassins, Yuron started looking at me as if I were the waste washed up from some human underbelly.
Hmm, judging by the reaction, looks like this proposal is being rejected too.
So far, everything had been going just as Ashel and I had predicted—no, planned.
The negotiation plan was entirely Ashel’s idea, but all the details like performances and lines were mine.
Thanks to that, even without any acting lessons, I could naturally play a wicked assassin as if by nature…
“Is there a problem?”
“This despicable man…!”
Had Yuron completely fallen for this act? He displayed nothing but contempt and rage, without a trace of doubt.
I’m getting away with it here.
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