kscans

Chapter 16 - Clan War Negotiations

Hayato's statement, which sounded logical but was completely baseless, left the opposing clan members looking disenchanted.

And Ney was just confused.

"W, wait, Hayato. Is that why you came today? But if that's the case, we won't get the sword back..."

"Ney, come here for a second. Excuse me, Leon-san, we'll be stepping away for a moment. I need to talk to her about the headquarters."

(By claiming ownership of the fortress, I should have thrown them off. That should buy me some time.)

Hayato led Ney to a spot where Leon's group couldn't hear them, by the stairs leading to the second floor. After a quick check to make sure Leon's group wasn't moving, he spoke to Ney in a low voice.

"Hey, how were you planning to trade an item for a headquarters? The system doesn't allow for that kind of trade, does it?"

You could trade a headquarters for another headquarters. You could also trade an item for an item. But a headquarters for an item was not systematically possible. To do it, one side would have to hand over their part first, and then receive the other part afterward.

"The plan was for them to trade the sword to us after we hand over the headquarters, but... Hayato, it doesn't hurt or do damage, but why did you just chop me on the head?"

"Felt like it. Listen, who do you think would actually keep a promise like that? There's no guarantee they'd return the sword once you hand over the headquarters. I'm just glad this happened before you actually gave it to them, really."

"What? There are people who break their promises?"

"Your answer surprises me. Are you planning on getting tricked again right after being deceived by a spy? There's a limit to how much of a klutz you can be."

"...It's been a while since you called me a klutz, Hayato. Why are you chopping me again?"

"Is this really the time to look so happy about it? You saw that man with the sword at his hip, right? He's not keeping it in his item bag, he's equipping it. Would someone who plans on returning a sword actually equip it? He's wearing it because he likes its performance, which means he has no intention of giving it back. I bet he told you he'd return it after you handed over the headquarters, didn't he?"

"That's exactly right."

"You, really... Well, whatever. Besides, you're the only one here, right, Ney? He must have specified that, didn't he? That you come to the negotiation alone."

"Amazing. That's exactly what he said. I won't let you chop me that many times. I saw it coming."

"That smug face of yours is irritating. You should suffer a little... Or are you suffering now? I don't mean to pry, but you saying you're some high-flying career woman has to be a lie. You're more like a student at a sheltered young ladies' school. A pampered one at that."

"N, no, that's completely wrong. I'm a capable woman living on my own in the city, sending money back home to my family. I'm not attending some fancy university for rich girls."

(Is that her image of a capable woman? And she just said university, this girl.)

"A capable woman wouldn't be in this situation. If you want to role-play as one, you need to try a little harder. Well, never mind that. Right now, getting the sword back is the priority... Why have you been looking so happy this whole time? The situation is dire, you know?"

"Well, I was just thinking about how reliable you are, Hayato. I was feeling pretty helpless until just a moment ago, but now I'm not worried at all."

(If you trust me that much, why did you kick me out? Oh right, because I'm a production class... Anyway, I need to figure out how to get that sword back. The only way is to steal it back, isn't it?)

Hayato thought so, but he realized it was impossible in the current situation. Leon already had the sword equipped. That was a countermeasure against theft. He was being careful not to have it stolen.

In this state, even with a Stealing Skill of 100, it would be impossible to steal. That meant he had to make him unequip it somehow. And the only place to do that was during a Clan War. Player-versus-player combat was limited to Clan Wars.

There were two possibilities. Either reduce the sword's durability to its limit, creating a situation where he would unequip it himself, or create a situation where he no longer met the equipment requirements, forcing the equipment to be removed.

(That sword has high durability. It'd be impossible to reduce it to the brink during a Clan War. So it has to be a forced removal. If I remember correctly, the equipment requirement for that sword is 60 STR or higher. A warrior type would definitely have 100 STR... Reducing STR by 41 or more is impossible, right? Even with curse-type magic, the most you can reduce it by is twenty percent. So a forced removal is impossible too...)

As Hayato thought that far, he remembered something Ash had said. It was about Ash's sister.

(Wait, didn't Ash say his sister learned some kind of curse-type passive skill? I don't know the effect, but I think I heard something about it halving the stats of herself and everyone around her when she was cursed. If it has the same effect, could it work? If his STR is halved, he'll definitely unequip it. Damn, I want to confirm it, but I don't have the time for that now. I have no choice. I'll bet on it. If it doesn't work, I'll have to give up.)

"Hey, Hayato, what are you thinking so hard about? Is it impossible to get the sword back after all?"

"I'm still thinking, wait a bit longer. By the way, does Ney know anyone with a Stealing Skill of 100..."

(No, that's no good. Even if we steal the sword, there's no guarantee they'd give it back to us. There's no guarantee an NPC would return it either, but that seems more likely. I'll have to find one. That means I need to get them to agree to a Clan War. They seem to be after this headquarters, so if I make that the wager, they'll probably bite.)

Claiming the headquarters was his was a lie to disrupt the negotiations, but Hayato decided to use it as bait to draw them into a Clan War.

"Ney, give me this headquarters. No, lend it to me. I want to make my earlier claim real."

"I don't mind giving you the headquarters, Hayato. I'm sure everyone else would agree. But without this place, the sword..."

"Are you still on about that? You won't get the sword back even if you hand over the headquarters... Ahem, who do you believe, me or him?"

(This is so embarrassing. I wonder if this stuff gets saved in the logs... Whoa, Ney's eyes are sparkling. I thought she was the type to admire these kinds of lines, but she's way too easy. It's better than being put off, I guess, but this is rough in its own way. This is definitely going into my dark history.)

"Of course I believe you, Hayato!"

"You're being loud. But I'm glad to hear it. Then let's trade the headquarters right now. Don't worry, I'll give it all back if things go well. This is just a temporary exchange."

(I need to take custody of the headquarters quickly, or she's going to hand it over. This is dangerous.)

"Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter! I believe in you, Hayato!"

(I'm worried about your future... no, your present. You haven't fallen for any scams, have you?)

Hayato and Ney selected trade from the system menu and executed the headquarters trade. In an instant, ownership of the headquarters and all its furnishings transferred, and the clan's shared storage was also swapped. The headquarters was now Hayato's. And the log house would become Kokuryu's new base.

(This'll do for now. All that's left is to use this as bait to get them into a Clan War.)

Hayato and Ney returned to the room where Leon and his group were waiting.

Leon was smiling pleasantly, but the two people on either side of him were clearly in a bad mood.

"Have you concluded your discussion? In the first place, I think it's a bit of a stretch to claim ownership just because you built the headquarters."

"I think it's a bit of a stretch to trade a stolen sword for a headquarters, too."

Hayato and Leon were both smiling, their words polite, but they were clearly sizing each other up. A heavy atmosphere settled over the room.

"Even if you say it was stolen, it was a legitimate act under the game's system. I don't believe I deserve to be criticized for it, do you?"

"No, of course not. I'm not criticizing you. The same goes for the spy. However, fraud is not good. It's not right to try and take a headquarters by using a sword you have no intention of returning as bait."

"How rude. I clearly said I would exchange the headquarters and the sword, did I not?"

"Then could you hand over the sword first? We'll hand over the headquarters after that."

Leon was at a loss for words. But, perhaps sensing he was in a bad spot, he quickly spoke up.

"Is there any guarantee you will hand over the headquarters after I return the sword?"

"I'll return the question to you. Is there any guarantee you will return the sword after we hand over the headquarters?"

Hayato said this and smiled.

(Ugh, my stomach hurts. I quit my job because I hate these kinds of interactions. But I can't back down here. For now, I have to act like I'm no longer interested in that sword and somehow maneuver them into a Clan War. If they think I'm interested in the sword, they might not equip it in the Clan War. Well, even if I get them into a Clan War, there's no guarantee I can get it back. And if I'm not careful, I could lose the headquarters too. It's a bad bet, or you could just call it reckless. What am I even doing in this game?)

Leon looked over at Ney. He seemed puzzled that she had regained her spirit, but he opened his mouth to speak anyway.

"Ney-san, Hayato-san says this, but do you share his opinion? That you can't hand over the headquarters first?"

"Of course. Besides, I've already given the headquarters to Hayato, so I no longer have any authority over it. But if you return the sword, Hayato will definitely hand over the headquarters, so you can rest assured."

The three of them were shocked by her words. She had given up the chance to get back the sword she had been so attached to and had given the headquarters to Hayato. It was something that normally would never happen.

"It's true, the owner of the headquarters is listed under Hayato's name..."

The man with the mohawk reported this after checking the information in his system menu. For the first time, Leon's face lost its smile. But it was quickly replaced by a smirk as the corners of his mouth turned up.

"It seems my timing was poor. I should not have let you in until our trade was complete."

"My timing was perfect."

"Indeed. Now, what shall we do? Hayato-san, how about it? Won't you trade the sword and the headquarters? On the condition that you hand yours over first, of course."

"Even with a guarantee, I'd rather not, not with you, Leon-san."

"It seems I am disliked. But this is a problem. It would be a shame to come all this way and return empty-handed."

(So this prime location near the Royal Capital is that attractive. Can I reel him in?)

"Then I have a proposal for you, Leon-san. I'm going to put this headquarters up as a wager in a Betting Match for the next Clan War. Why don't you challenge me for it?"

Leon narrowed his eyes at Hayato. Then he glanced down at the sword at his hip.

"Are you saying I should challenge you with this sword as the wager?"

"No, no, that sword is already yours, Leon-san. There's no need to bet it. A simple knife would be sufficient. What I want is your rank."

"Rank?"

"'Goddess of Annihilation' is A-rank, correct? According to the giant-killing rule, if a lower-ranked clan defeats a higher-ranked clan, they take over their rank completely. I came here to get this headquarters today because I wanted something to wager in order to fight a higher-ranked clan. If this headquarters is the prize, a higher-ranked clan will have a reason to fight a lower-ranked one, don't you think?"

Wanting the rank was true, but wanting the headquarters was a lie. By telling a lie that seemed plausible, he was making his story more believable.

"You're confident you can beat an A-rank clan? If I recall, Hayato-san, you just left your clan. What is your current clan's rank, anyway?"

"It's F, but we won yesterday, so maybe it's E. It was a random match against a same-rank team, so we might not have had enough points. We could still be F."

At Hayato's mention of E and F, the man with the mohawk and the woman in the dress burst out laughing. But Leon's face remained serious as he stared intently at Hayato.

"What are you plotting? I don't know what kind of clan you have, but do you really think you can beat us?"

"After yesterday's battle, I thought, we can do this. I'm aiming for the anniversary prize money. What do you say? If you're confident you can win, you'll be able to legally obtain this headquarters. If you lose, your rank will drop, but you keep the sword. And I think it's a far better option than getting a strange reputation for doing something that borders on fraud, don't you?"

Leon placed a hand on his chin and thought.

Then, after a few seconds, his face broke into a smile, and he extended his right hand across the table.

Hayato did the same, reaching out his own right hand to shake it.

At that moment, the negotiation was settled.