13. Negotiation Table

"So tell me, Lord Lucien, how does bringing me to this room help convince me to do your bidding?"

"Ah... such hostility... Didn't I tell you that the whole show back there was nothing more than us playing around?"

"And you expect me to believe that?" Yumino quickly snapped back.

"I wonder... Did the eyes of Little Averin look that serious to you?" Lucien asked jokingly before continuing with an unbothered tone.

"Ah, but she is a naïve girl. She may have taken our little game to heart, even if she shouldn't have."

The two stepped into a bright room with just a table in the middle. The walls and windows were beautifully decorated with pictures and fine weaponry, truly fitting of a lord of the castle.

Taking his seat at the other side of the table, Lucien continued.

"Besides, if the hero party wanted you dead, we wouldn't be sitting here having our little discussion, would we?"

With a final threat, the vampire gestured for Yumnino to take a seat in front of him.

"Still, negotiation these days can't be done solely with words. What say you, Yumino? Should I call for the maids to bring you some tea? We have the highest quality honey on the continent. Those bees of ours are something else, you know?"

"Your words are sweet, Lucien," Yumino said while remaining upright.

"As sweet as the honey I offer, I dare say."

"Then tell me, does the venom dripping from them also come in the honey?"

Lucien answered with a soft scoff.

"It's only natural for a sharp elf like you to always be on guard, but I would like to reassure you that nothing will happen to you in this castle," he said. 

"That aside, I see our relationship is off to a shaky start. After what you've been through, I can't blame you. However, I would really like for us to get along."

Lucien did not sit down for long. He headed for the windows, opened them, and called Yumino next to him.

"You see. This humble kingdom I govern has not always been a nest of bats."

"Then what's changed now?"

"Times have, Yumino. Times have changed, and while the elves vanished one after another, the vampires started rising."

"And isn't that a good thing? At least for you," Yumino pointed out.

"Indeed. I can't deny that being close to my kin has brought me happiness over the years. But, as you may know, vampires and elves have always been compared to cats and dogs—and once a prejudice like that starts spreading, it is hard not to get caught in it."

"Are you hinting at something, Lord?"

"Far from it. In fact, that is exactly why I wanted to open my heart to you, Yumino."

Lucien took a couple steps away from the man, a somber look clouding his expression.

"You see, I'm rather fond of the elves..." the vampire continued.

"Oh?"

"Hard to believe, right? But it's the truth. Given the circumstances, I won't ask you to believe me, but let me tell you a story instead. Or better yet, let me skip the small talk, and frankly tell you what I want."

"I'm all ears," the elf responded, aware of the irony.

"I want peace, Yumino. I want to see the day when elves and vampires may live in peace. I want to see the day when elves will thrive within these walls. I want to see the day when you and Nima won't be put in danger just for going outside. I want to see the day when mortal and immortal can hold hands, dancing around the fire as the booze runs out from the treasury."

"That would be pretty hard, given how this world has never known hunger nor thirst..."

"I'm glad to see that you still find the comfort to joke around."

Getting over their playful banter, Yumino became curious, so he decided to dig a little deeper.

"So, how are you going to fulfill your dream? Given that the last two surviving elves of the continent had just been attacked by your vampires and that weird knight, I still have a hard time believing you."

Lucien's eyes opened wide. What Yumino said didn't click perfectly with what the lord was informed about.

"A knight, you say? I was not told about any knight being present. Could you give me more details about this incident?"

"I wish I could," Yumino said as he was walking around the room. "But he was a pretty scary guy; the moment I saw him, my vision turned to a blur. All I remember is that he was high in the sky, riding an ashen horse. When he appeared, the vampires all cowered in fear.”

As Yumino was juggling his memory, he felt a chill run through his bones. He turned around in an instant, but only Lucien was there, his eyes fixated on the elf as if trying to pierce him. 

Yumino's whole body tightened at the horrifying look he was given, but Lucien's gave soon returned to normal, and he continued as if nothing had happened.

"Yumino, couldn't that knight have been the Rider of Death? The very monster who robbed elves of their immortality?"

"What's that now?"

"Play along for now! I'll explain later," Gauntmere intervened.

"Oh, now that I think about it, you may be right..." said Yumino in an attempt to play off his lack of knowledge.

"Ah, but you seem young by elven standards. I should have known that those old stories would slowly be forgotten."

Thanks to Gauntmere, Yumino had once again escaped an uncomfortable situation. That made him all the more annoyed.

"Yet you must have heard the legends, right? Those legends of how elves used to be blessed with eternal life. The legends of how forests would be walked by your kin, every step of theirs bringing blessing to the land...

"Yet Death, out of pure spite, ruined the serene world woven by the elves. He spat on their pure elysium, forcefully dragging you kin down—limiting your lifespans to just a mere couple thousand years just to see how that would change you."

As Lucien spoke, his canines reflected the bright sun, putting Yumino in the spotlight of a story told through concealed pain.

"The way you speak about this... it feels almost as if you'd been there," said Yumino.

"Because I have. I've known many of those splendid elves. They've all perished with time, leaving those old, undying bones of mine behind. Me, a mere shadow of their greatness, left to wander in the light with nothing to cling to."

Lucien tried to keep himself composed, yet sorrow escaped his voice with every word he spoke—a sorrow bitter enough to reach even those outside the castle.

And that sincere sorrow was enough for Yumino. At least for now, he would give in.

"Hah...I can't say I fully trust you, given how your honey is yet to sweeten the kingdom I am seeing, but I'll dance to your beat for a while longer."

"That's an unfamiliar expression you've used, but I take it as a sign of your cooperation?"

"Don't get too excited now! I'll go check for myself what my kin has left behind, and once I find my answers, I will decide if the elves will stay with you or if we'll find another way to start anew."

Thus Yumino left the room without giving Lucien another chance to dig at him. He kept calm for the most part, but the elf's eyes eventually lit up with a newfound flame.

While he may never admit it, Yumino felt a rare hint of excitement, for in his head, his unspoken dream was once again taking shape. If he could not make his name known back home, he may be able to do it now.