There are some issues that are especially simple to solve with swords. For example, dealing with the Demon Lord, the heroic team needed not to think of anything else. There were no conflicts of interest and no opportunity to negotiate with the demons. All Vilvy needed to do was to wave her sword to clear all the enemies in front of her and finally decapitate the Demon Lord. This was a simple mission in a simple era. Vilvy didn't need to concern herself with anything else. Her world was made up of her companions, and their only opponent was a Demon Lord. She'd traveled through many places, from human territories to their ends, seen the snow in the north and the flowers in the south. Yet, her world didn't involve the joys and sorrows of these people. Politics and duels that took place within human palaces were none of her business, neither were Queen Sissi and the elves and goblins vying for the glory and leadership position of killing the Demon Lord first. After all, those matters didn't concern the heroes.
However, now that the Demon Lord was dead, the world no longer had a place for Vilvy. Her martial skills couldn’t solve the issues she faced now. She could slaughter every person in this town, but what would that mean? She was no longer Hero Vilvy, and she wasn't fighting monsters but dealing with living humans - her own people, as their lord.
Bloodshed at this point would only lead to mutual losses. They wouldn't get what they wanted, and neither would we. Vilvy served no purpose in this situation. It was time for me to execute my old profession.
Under their guidance, I came to what looked like the tallest and grandest house in town. It appeared the runaway soldiers were eagerly looking forward to a negotiation with me instead of being attacked outright. Their attitude towards me was respectful; they didn't bind my hands or hold a knife to me. Ironically, they were friendlier towards me than they were with Vilvy.
This house was likely the residence of the incumbent lord. The houses here had a distinct northern feel, with high, thick walls and small windows. All the houses faced the same direction, and the commoners' houses were flat-roofed cottages, which looked rather quaint.
As I walked into the towering building and looked at the soldiers on either side, I said, "This place must be where the lord resides. You guys have exceeded your authority by taking over the town, but it doesn't seem like you've done much."
"We just wanted to find a place to live. We had no choice; the people here hate the demons and thus, us who fled from demons."
The soldier next to me looked like a child. His young body was too frail to bear the weight of his armor and his responsibilities. Thin to the point of emaciation, his armored figure swayed in the wind like a scarecrow. He could not possibly fend off any demons that intended to kill humans. He looked somewhat scared and was constantly sniffling due, presumably, to the cold. In a soft voice, he said, "We didn't want this to happen… we… we… we wanted to go home too… but… but… we never wanted to fight in the first place… but now, we can't go back home, and the people here want to report us. So, we imprisoned them..." Before he could continue, another soldier jabbed him on his waist to shut him up.
I walked up the steps and looked at the large door painted with a red dye. With a smile, I said, "Now that the rightful lord is here, you need not guard this place any longer. I understand your intentions. So let us discuss how to handle this situation properly."
Inside the main hall, it was cold, reminding me of a walk-in refrigerator. The hearth at the end of the room was empty, its blackened charcoal seemed to have a layer of frost. Leaning against the pillars that supported the house were people dressed in simple clothes, huddled under what seemed to be hemp sheets of sorts. Men, women, old and young. They appeared to be the confined commoners. A few soldiers with crossbows and swords stood by them, rubbing their hands together to stay warm. In the center of the hall, a man in a conspicuous red cloak sat behind a long table, looking intently at me.
It seemed like he was the commander of this team, the one I needed to negotiate with now.
In my world, there was no such thing as an enemy. Unlike Vilvy, who believed in absolutes, I believed that any person could sit across from me, and maybe one day, sit next to me too. It was best not to regard each other as enemies and to leave some room for negotiation. That way, we might still hold a conversation in the future.I sat in the chair opposite him, smiling at the man across the table. He looked very rugged, and quite old, perhaps approaching middle age. His face was full of red scruffy beard, with sideburns and beard meeting in one whole. His fingers, I reckon, are thicker than my two fingers stacked together. His hand swept across the wooden table, like a stone scraping across it. His face etched with the long-grooved scars of time and wounds, a pair of small black eyes incredibly steady.
Atop his head was a pointed metal helmet, and his body was wrapped in grimy metal armor. His red cloak didn't look like a substantial cape for protection against cold, instead it seemed more like a distinguishing insignia.
He looked at me, reached out and picked up a dirtied pot, poured me a drink of something. This standard military cup, shaped like a horseshoe, I've seen amongst Vilvy’s soldiers before. I took it and had a look, a potent smell of alcohol wafted up.
It seemed to be some kind of strong liquor...
"I apologize, I'm not able to drink such a potent liquor," I waved my hand with a bitter smile and said, "but let's get down to business first. The lord is at the gate of the town now, after all. I have a general understanding of your situation too."
"What relation do you have with the lord?"
I hadn't finished speaking when I was abruptly interrupted. A low male voice echoed across from me, as he tilted his gaze towards me and asked, "What you say, is it your own thoughts, or the lord's opinions?"
"Um..."
In fact, I am just a mere slave... Even though Vilvy tacitly arranged for me to come over, she didn't provide the things I need. In other words, this man's worries are valid. I could indeed negotiate and sign an agreement with them here, friendly enough, but that would mean I was agreeing to their terms on my own. In actual fact, Vilvy might not consent to it.
Because, Vilvy and I did not agree on a common understanding from the get-go. To put it another way, Vilvy merely views me as a slave, not as a deputy.
The conditions I propose have to satisfy two aspects. Firstly, the man in front of me can accept; Secondly, Vilvy can accept.
"Let's put it this way, the lord initially intended to kill all of you. It was I who stopped her and came to negotiate with you."
Don't lie.
An important point in negotiations is to avoid lying if at all possible. The person sitting opposite you isn’t a clueless child, rather his intelligence may even surpass yours; the lie you tell will usually hand him a grip to hold you with.
However, not telling lies doesn't mean you can’t keep secrets.
What I said is the truth.
But it also virtually answers the initial question. "I stopped the lord" implies that I have some influence on the lord, and "the lord initially intended to kill all of you" further indicates, if you won't trust me, you’ll have to die.
This isn’t lying; I'm stating the facts. But at this moment in their minds, I am not a dispensable substitute anymore.
Sure enough, the man in front of me gradually nodded, then looked at me and motioned with his hand, saying, "These are the townsfolk, we didn't harm them, we merely brought them here. We guessed that someone might come to subjugate us, but it's really too much for the hero who defeated the demon king to come and kill us outright."
"Lord Vilvy came as the ruler, this land's ownership and management rights ought to lie with Lord Vilvy now. But you are seizing Lord Vilvy's territory, oppressing the people under her rule, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Lord Vilvy to take action against you."
Don't give the other side any way out, don't empathize or care for the other side's feelings. Some things can't be compromised on. The "bottom line" of negotiations is very important. There will be "concessions" in negotiations, but at the most critical points, especially those involving your leaders, never "concede" on your own.
They are pitiful, but that isn't a reason for them to occupy Vilvy's territory.
I watched the man across the table. Although I couldn't compromise, I couldn't deadlock the negotiations either. At moments like this, there has to be a "solution." But what can I offer these men now?
"We want a proper reason to return home, a guarantee that no one will mention our deeds. We are hoping that Lord Vilvy can provide us with a document stating that we've fought on the battlefield, and, ideally, also cover our travel expenses home."The man looked at me and made a demand. To be honest, this demand was unreasonable. Very unreasonable. You are a group of deserters occupying the good post of others, but you even expected Vilvy to pay you to leave? Vilvy could simply kill you all without giving you any money. This is an 【unreasonable demand】. Any such demands could undermine the likelihood of negotiation and could even incur mockery from the other party. It doomed the failure to understand who is in the upper hand in the negotiation. Only the 【advantaged party】 has the right to set terms, the 【disadvantaged party】 should simply refuse any unreasonable demands and stick to their 【bottom lines】.
However, it was obvious that this group of 【disadvantaged party】 didn't understand their disadvantageous position. Those who are in disadvantage indeed need negotiations more, because they can only minimize their losses through this. That's why the 【disadvantaged party】 must scrutinize their terms carefully. Otherwise, they may not even have the opportunity for negotiation.
"I know you want to go home, but there is no clear-cut reason for you to do so." I looked at them, speaking decisively. “After all, being caught as deserters does not bear a pleasing consequence. Instead, your actions could be deemed traitorous, and it would be very easy to prosecute you, leaving you all on the gallows. It's impossible for Lord Vilvy to vouch for you. Your desertion is a betrayal to Lord Vilvy's brave warriors and the queen. The travel expenses you demand are out of the question. These lands belong to Lord Vilvy in the first place. He just needs to compensate the queen, not anyone else.”
"Why are you even negotiating with us at all!! You might as well hang us now! Since we're doomed to die anyway, are you here to mock us?!”
Clearly, the man before me felt an intense surge of anger. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted at me.
This is an absolute mistake you should never make.
Always keep your cool. Your intelligence decreases when your emotions run high. In such circumstances, you become lambs to the slaughter.
Just like the man sitting opposite me.
I looked at him, keeping my voice steady. “What we're discussing is how to not get killed by Lord Vilvy, avoid the gallows, and secure a safe return for your people. Additionally, ensuring the safety of the villagers is of utmost importance. Frankly, Lord Vilvy indeed wishes to make an example of you. If it weren't for my concerns about forcing you into this and the safety of the townsfolk, you would already be dead. So, do you have any more demands now?”
The man before me had his hands pressed heavily on the table, his small eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. After a moment, he took deep breaths and sat back in the chair, angrily, but reluctantly, he looked at me and said, "What's your plan?”
"It's not about my plan, but about your sincerity. You should be grateful you haven’t harmed any civilians here, which has given you a chance to remedy this situation. Lord Vilvy, surprisingly, is rather magnanimous. If you take the initiative to approach him, he could offer you a proper settlement. After all, as long as no one talks about what happened on Lord Vilvy's lands, nobody will know. You can use the journey with Lord Vilvy's carriage as an excuse to leave.”
But this time, it was my turn to rise.
Because I had won.
"All of you are from the same village, aren't you? And you led your people from there. Then you should think about your young people. I learned from that young man outside that he wants to survive. The war is over. If your decision results in one less young man in your village, one more widow, can your conscience handle that?”
This is a 【threat】.
From within their own ranks.
Sometimes, the words of an enemy could be the sharpest weapons, because only internal conflict can reveal the actual 【demand】 of the other side.
The boy simply grumbled in passing.
But for me, it was the final step in penetrating their boss's psychological defenses.
I knew their ideas, rejected their requests, but left them a condition that could satisfy their 【bottom lines】.The minimum expectation of these deserters is to survive and evade the gallows.
The path before them boils down to just one.
"So, I think I've said pretty much everything, what you will do next, do you need me to remind you?"
